Rejection of Soils Directive draft is welcomed by NFU

EUROPEAN Ministers have rejected draft proposals for an EU Soils Directive – a move that has been welcomed by the NFU.

The union has been actively lobbying against the proposals, which a spokeswoman said they felt went against the EC's own principles of better regulations.

A press statement from the EU said it had not been possible to attain a 'qualified majority' needed to reach political agreement on a draft directive despite attempts by the presidency to present compromise proposals to meet delegations' concerns.

NFU president Peter Kendall, in his capacity as vice-president of COPA, had met Portuguese Minister Francisco Nunes Correia on the eve of a meeting with the EU Environment Council, when he reiterated the NFU's concerns.

The union spokeswoman said the UK, along with Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and France had formed a blocking minority to try to halt the directive.