17/03/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 17 March, the EU’s agricultural organisations and cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca) criticised the position adopted the previous day by the ‘Environment’ Council on the proposal to modernise and strengthen the industrial emissions directive (see EUROPE 13143/6). For Copa-Cogeca, the compromise reached between the EU countries, before negotiating with the European Parliament, “is far from sufficient and leaves many grey areas”. Copa-Cogeca “rejects” the new livestock unit (LU) thresholds in the EU Council’s position (350 LU for cattle, pig and mixed farms, and 280 LU for poultry farms). The Commission had proposed 150 LU. Other grievances include the retention of the aggregation rule, which encompasses vague concepts of ‘close to each other’ and ‘engaged in an economic or legal relationship’ “threatening the cooperative business model”. (LC)