§ Mr. John TownendTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the successful prosecutions for fisheries offences undertaken by his Department since 1 January which have resulted in fines of £5,000 or more, including details of the fishing vessels involved, country of registration and the offences committed. [9432]
§ Mr. BaldryA list of the successful prosecutions and the details requested are set out in the following table. Where appropriate, the fines relate to the total fines against both the master and owner of the vessel. There are other prosecution cases, but these are the subject of an appeal and are not therefore included in the table.
§ Mr. Douglas Hogg[holding answer 12 December 1996]: Most wash water and condensate from rendering plants is discharged to sewer. Such discharges are regulated by sewerage undertakers, who are empowered by the Water Industry Act 1991 to impose a wide range of conditions on the discharge consent issued to an individual plant.
437WA small number of rendering plants discharge wash water and condensate, after treatment, to controlled waters or to land. Discharges of this kind are subject to regulation by the Environment Agency, under the Water Resources Act 1991 or the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The methods of disposal specified in consents and licences will vary according to the circumstances and full weight is always given in determining such consents and licences to the need to protect public health and the environment. Dischargers who fail to comply with relevant discharge consents or licence conditions are liable to prosecution and other regulatory action.
All rendering plants involved in the scheme are approved under the Animal By-Products Order 1992, as amended, which implements EU rendering standards, and the Specified Bovine Material (No. 3) Order 1996.