EU views innovation as key to reducing environmental impact of livestock farming

If common sense can l im i t po l i t i ca l grandstanding the UK and EU are about to begin the final hard slog to agree a Brexit trade deal.

The sticking issues do not appear to be beyond resolution, provided the political will is there.

Compromise needs to be in the air, not least because both sides know that with coronavirus devastating their respective economies, now is not the time to take risks.

T he ke y issues have nothing to do with agriculture. They are around fishing, state aid and how any agreement would be policed without using the European court.

The challenge is to play the endgame in a way that allows both sides to claim they stuck to their principles, while in reality a deal will only be possible if both compromise on those principles.

An EU document has set out the case for and against the environmental impact of livestock production.

It has concluded that the answer lies in innovation rather than curbing livestock farming, warning that bans would only lead to increased meat and dairy imports.

The report underlines the importance of livestock farming to agriculture.

It shows that livestock represen ts 40% o f agricultural activity in Europe with 58% of farms carrying livestock as part of an industry that employs four million people.

The report acknowledges the env ironmen ta l consequences of livestock production, but says pollution from agriculture is well below industry and transport.

The broadly positive report – ‘ Future of EU l ives tock : How to contribute to a sustainable agricultural sector ’ – recognises the progress made.

It makes reference to the hopes for the EU’s Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy to underline that carbon reduction depends on innova t ion in agriculture.

Germany’s battle against the threat from African swine fever in wild boars is continuing, with a further 10 cases reported at the time of writing.

This brings the total to 69, although it has been contained in the area where recent cases were found. To date there has been no transfer to pig herds, but the risk remains high because of the difficulty of containing wild boar in an area.

Meanwhile, Denmark, the wor ld ’s b iggest producer of mink pelts, is to cull an estimated one million mink, because of concerns around Covid-19.

T he rejec tion of the House of Lords amendment to the Agriculture Bill to protect UK food standards was a bitter blow for farmers.

It opens the way for cheap food imports and ministers have admitted privately they wanted this clause defeated because it would make securing trade deals more difficult.

It could also add an extra difficulty to free trade with the EU. The single market is based on countries having similar standards.

If the UK allows in food that does not meet EU standards, it will need mechanisms to prove that sub-standard food is not being processed for export to the EU.

GREEN DEAL: The EU report highlights the importance of livestock farming on the continent – and its environmental consequences, where progress is being made.