The revised Directive, published in December 2013, proposes an ammonia reduction target for the UK of 21% by 2030, which would be very challenging to meet, particularly for the livestock sectors. Other Member States, such as Germany and Denmark, have been given targets of 39 % and 37 % respectively.
The letter from the COPA-COGECA Presidents urges the revisit its calculation on the cost to the sector and also to consider the fact that the agricultural sector needs to grow during this period – both to feed a growing population and the help the EU recover from the financial crisis.
Although the revised Directive has been published for about a year, the negotiations in the EU institutions are still to get underway in earnest. The Commission work programme is due to be published on the 16th December, where we should learn more about the new Commission’s focus for the coming months and whether the revisions to the Directive will continue as proposed.