§ Mr. GillTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what his policy is regarding the disposal of farm waste plastic; and if he will make a statement. [147279]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 26 January 2001]: The Government acknowledge the difficulties farmers can face in disposing of waste plastics. This issue will be addressed in a consultation paper on the extension of waste management controls to agricultural waste which is expected to be published soon by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The consultation paper will take into account issues raised in a meeting held at DETR on 3 November 2000, attended by officials from my Department, the National Farmers Union, the Country Landowners Association and a wide range of organisations representing the plastics industry and agricultural suppliers.
A voluntary national waste collection scheme, the Farm Film Producers Group, was set up in 1994 and ran until 1997; however, some suppliers were unwilling to pay a levy which undermined its operation. One of the aims of the dialogue with industry is to develop proposals for tackling the issue and to ensure that any future provision is not affected by similar problems.