EEC policy on animal production and environment

LivcWwk

Elscvier

Prodlci*lior:

Science

3 I { 1992)

52ieuce.

Pgblishcrs

B-V..

71-73

71

Amsterdam

Abstracts of cattle section EEC:

POLICY

ON

ANIMAL

PR0DUCTION

AND

ENVIRONMENT

In lhc European Community there is increasing public concern about the negative c~virti~~mental cffccts of intensive agricultural prcduclion in general and intensivclivestock production in particular. The rtvcrage livestock density is of the order of 0.8 livestock units (LU 1 per ha in the EC. however, many farmers have three. four or more LU/ha. Thcrc has been a big increase in the bse of fertilizers and pesticides for feed production for livestock atId this conlrlbutes to soil. air and water pollution. Ovcrgra7ing. particularly on marginal agricultural land. contributes IO snit uosion ar,d reduction in natural habitats in aortht-rn and southern areas of the EC. There arc prrrposals lhat livestock density should Lx limited 10 I .3 lU/ha in these area\. Nirratc pollution of water is also linked to irltcnsivc livestock production in some regions arrd a prop-oscd directive wn14ld 51-‘?a !imi: o!‘ t 78 kg nirrogen ~wr ha C-l tll ) on land in areas vl::ncrL able IO nitrate pollution. Nitrate level in water is increasing in many areas of the E;3 and levels qrc often higher than the SO mg/l set by the drinking water directiv-c (80/778 jEX). l‘hc Lffcits of intensive agriculture on air pollution are now recei, ing attention &cause of the rffccts of nitrogen oxuidcs and methane on glcbal warming. Howcter. the greatest concern is the polluting efkt of ammonia volatilization from intensive animal production. The ammonia contributes to nitrogen enrichment in water and sensitive heathland habitats In adtioll 11:r’ acid rain caused by ammonia is of environmental concern and some member slates of the EC art’ ROW planning action 10 reduce ammonia loss from tivcstock farming. Kcftirm of the Colrimon Agricultural Poliq (CAP> is now a priorit) for the European Communit). not only for budgrtarq xasons but also bccausc of cnvirontllcntal probicms. The mogt recc’nt proposals from the Commission are no\v being discussed by the Council. Thcq’ include linking paqmrnts to restrictions in stxking d:,nsitl; and also realrictions 1r7 the mxtimum number of animals for \rhich payment can be reczivcd. It is now widely accepted that c‘.1P reform must include an important environmental dimension. ds the riual rt!lc of 11~ fZrGjcr> as f&d yoductrsand proleLtors ot’thc cnxironment is emphasixd. I - - . - -

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