The European Commission adopted new rules for the rearing of poultry and pigs under the Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive. This single EU-wide rulebook establishes how large pig and poultry farms must operate to reduce emissions of ammonia, nitrogen and phosphorus. These are pollutants which are linked to respiratory diseases, nature degradation, and water contamination.

Developed in close collaboration with Member States, livestock farmers, experts and environmental NGOs, this framework sets common minimum environmental standards for large poultry and pig farms across the EU, while providing flexibility, minimising administrative burden for farmers and enabling sustainable innovation. Cost-efficient approaches have been prioritised to keep the implementation cost at reasonable level for farms in scope. The new rules will apply at farm level between 2030 and 2032, depending on the farm size, giving farmers time to adapt. They are also compatible with the Commission’s proposal from December 2025 to simplify rules on industrial emissions and will be amended if the final text requires to do so.

The revised Industrial Emissions and Livestock Rearing Directive covers the largest pig and poultry farms in the EU, which amounts to around 30% of such farms. The Directive implementation is key in helping to reduce nitrogen pollution in the air, water and soil.