April 30, 2004

EU Producers To Call For IPPC Postponement
 

The introduction of IPPC - Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control - on pig and poultry units could be delayed. Producers from all over Europe are to call on the European Commission to postpone the date from January 2007 to 2013.

The call will come from Copa - the Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the European Union - of which NPA is an active member.

An early reaction from British producers might be "They'll never go for it in Brussels" However it should be remembered that Copa had recently asked for aids in private storage and export subsidies, and the Commission quickly agreed both.

Furthermore, the Environment Agency in Britain is currently overwhelmed by extra responsibilities imposed by a whole raft of new European Union regulations. Thus it might actually welcome postponement, argues NPA chairman Stewart Houston, who, with NPA policy manager Ann Peterson, represented NPA at Copa meetings in Brussels today.

Continental producers, who have to sign up for IPPC by 2007, could be said to be making significant changes to their units. This, in turn, might trigger an earlier introduction of the continental 2013 stalls ban.

Dutch producers were the ones who proposed calling for a postponement of IPPC. This move is supported by all countries represented at Copa, in both pig and poultry sectors. There is considerable anxiety on the continent about how the 2007 deadline is to be met.

"It is only a proposal and there are many obstacles to overcome," said Stewart Houston. "But who can say how Brussels will respond?"