The NFU's interest in the transposition of the IED (the former IPPC Directive) is broad. The current IPPC regime already affects some 1,100 pig and poultry businesses across England and Wales but the transposition of the IED proposes adding additional environmental safeguards. In addition, the IED extends the scope of IPPC-type provisions to additional waste management activities and potentially impacts on those who have on-farm feed mixing facilities.

Some primary concerns are that the transposition proposals remain bureaucratic and impractical and out of line with Defra Farming Regulation Task Force recommendations to regulate only as a last resort and to use alternative approaches wherever possible (not least the principle of earned recognition).

Amongst the NFU's concerns with the transposition proposals are that it believes that emission limit values are ill-suited for use in agriculture and we have a number of serious concerns about the potential implications of IED provisions for food processing which could impact on on-farm feed mixing - and which may well may implicate many non-IPPC-sized agricultural businesses.

Further Reading You can view the NFU's full response by clicking here.