The European Parliament says cows’ notoriously gaseous discharges should be exempt from stringent environmental rules proposed under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), in what is seen as a major concession to livestock farmers backed by the Right.
The Parliament on July 11 voted on the legislation in Strasbourg and, in a rare move, toned down the proposals from the European Commission.
MEPs voted on the terms for negotiating with Member States and took what many saw as a surprising stance. MEPs chose to exclude from the scope of the law pig farms with capacity for more than 2,000 pigs or more than 750 places for sows. The exclusion also covers poultry farms with in excess of 40,000 chickens, as well as farms with more than 750 other livestock units.
The EC originally proposed a threshold of 150 livestock units for all relevant operations but the Parliament did not agree and kept cattle farms out of the equation.
MEPs also underlined the importance of ensuring producers outside the EU meet requirements similar to those within the bloc.
The IED aims to reduce pollutant emissions in heavy industry. As such, the text imposes a number of obligations on incinerators, cement plants, petroleum companies and other similar installations to enable them to obtain a required permit.
Under the so-called Green Deal, the EC wants to expand its scope to several other sectors, including agriculture.
With 367 votes for and 245 against, plus 16 abstentions, the European Parliament agreed to exempt cattle farms, despite the fact they are said to produce huge amounts of nitrous oxide and methane.
The result can be seen as a litmus test for the upcoming vote on the highly controversial nature restoration Law, where Conservatives and environmental progressives face each other with knives drawn for a final showdown.
Conservatives took the emissions vote result as a big win, with rapporteur Radan Kanev of the European People’s Party, saying: “Better environmental protection does not need to lead to more bureaucracy.
“EU policy must be realistic, economically feasible, and not threaten competitiveness,” he added.
Another fellow EPP member was even more positive. “Finally support for farmers! The Industrial Emissions Directive will not apply to the beef sector and will not stifle family farms. I am happy to have convinced my fellow MEPs to support our agriculture,” he said.
Today's vote on the Industry Emissions Directive is good news for EU family farms which guarantee our sustainable food production.
The EP "didn't allow the farms that breed cows to be listed as big industrial polluters", said @BenoitLutgen.
🔗: https://t.co/ITcTK4sNDV#FitFor55 pic.twitter.com/7RnKjhmbOW
— EPP Group (@EPPGroup) July 11, 2023
Conversely, many progressives and ‘greens’ were disappointed, claiming Parliament “caved in” under pressure from lobbyists.
Environmental law practice ClientEarth called the move “tragic” and “genuinely alarming”.
“The law voted through today has actually worsened standards when it comes to pollution from factory farms,” it said.
