HC Deb 02 July 1996 vol 280 cc429-30W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for the Scotland if he will list the locations his Department is(a) using and (b) considering using for the storage of the remains of cattle aged 30 months or over following processing of carcases at rendering plants prior to final disposal; what is the estimated (i) maximum and (ii) minimum periods these remains will be at these storage sites; and if he will make a statement. [31550]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson

[holding answer 17 June 1996]: The rendered remains of cattle slaughtered in Scotland under the 30-month scheme are either stored on site by the rendering company concerned or at a storage facility in Liverpool provided by the Intervention Board for this purpose.

Other locations will be considered if, and when, additional storage facilities are required. As announced by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 16 April, a number of options for the disposal of meat and bone meal produced at plants are under active consideration and in all cases full weight will be given to protecting the environment. The options include incineration and energy recovery. The period of storage will vary between stores and will be dependent upon the final disposal route chosen.