{"id":46660,"date":"2023-05-24T15:59:04","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T13:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eu-unit\/?p=46660"},"modified":"2023-05-24T15:59:05","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T13:59:05","slug":"environment-committee-meps-vote-cut-livestock-pollution-industrial-emissions-directive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eu-unit\/issues\/nature-food\/46660\/environment-committee-meps-vote-cut-livestock-pollution-industrial-emissions-directive\/","title":{"rendered":"Environment MEPs vote to cut livestock pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Brussels, 24 May 2023<\/strong> \u2013 The European Parliament\u2019s environment committee today voted to strengthen the EU\u2019s industrial emissions rules by including the largest cattle farms for the first time. MEPs on the committee also voted to include more industrial pig and poultry farms in the rules, by lowering the numbers of animals beyond which they need permits to operate.<\/p>\n\n

Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director, <\/strong>said: \u201cLarge-scale industrial farms must be treated like the polluting factories they are. Too many animals on too little land is a recipe for filthy air, dead water, useless soil and an unsafe climate. Farming that works safely within nature\u2019s boundaries should be supported, while polluting industrial meat factories must be consigned to history.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Under the EU\u2019s current Industrial Emissions Directive, pig and poultry farms are considered to be industrial farms if they have over a certain number of animals, and are then subject to rules similar to those for other polluting factories. The European Commission\u2019s review of these rules proposed to include industrial cattle farms for the first time, an approach also agreed to by national governments\u2019 environment ministers, and now backed by the Parliament\u2019s environment committee.<\/p>\n\n

The committee recommended that cattle farms with more than 300 \u201clivestock units\u201d (about 415 cows on average) should be subject to the industrial emissions rules. The MEPs on the committee also suggested lowering the current thresholds for pig and poultry farms, so that more of these factory farms would be covered by the rules, and only farms with fewer than 650 pigs or 14,000 laying hens or 28,000 broiler chickens would be exempt. The European Commission had originally proposed lowering the thresholds even further.<\/p>\n\n

Pollution from livestock farming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

According to the European Environment Agency, the livestock sector alone accounts for 54% of all of the EU\u2019s man-made methane emissions<\/a>, mostly from cattle. Animal farming also pollutes water, air and soil through ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions, with animal farming accounting for 73% of water pollution from EU agriculture<\/a>. Farming is responsible for 94% of ammonia emissions<\/a>, the vast majority of which comes from the livestock sector, again mostly from cattle.<\/p>\n\n

Next steps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

All members of the European Parliament will soon have a chance to vote on the environment committee\u2019s position on the EU\u2019s Industrial Emissions Directive during the Parliament\u2019s plenary session from 10 to 14 July.<\/p>\n\n

Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director: <\/strong>+32 (0)477 77 70 34, marco.contiero@greenpeace.org<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace EU press desk<\/strong>: +32 (0)2 274 1911, pressdesk.eu@greenpeace.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n

For breaking news and comment on EU affairs: www.twitter.com\/GreenpeaceEU<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. We do not accept donations from governments, the EU, businesses or political parties. Greenpeace has over three million supporters, and 26 independent national and regional organisations with offices in more than 55 countries.<\/p>\n\n

EU Transparency Register: 9832909575-41<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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