§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the Government's policy towards the collection and recycling of plastics used on the farm; [39490]
(2) if he will introduce a compulsory levy scheme to fund the collection and recycling of farm plastics. [39491]
§ Angela EagleWe were extremely disappointed to hear of the collapse of the Farm Films Producers Group in early 1997, an industry-led scheme which organised the collection and recycling of plastic films used on the farm. It seems that the principal cause was that certain importers were not prepared to participate on a voluntary basis and that the competitive advantage thus created led to the collapse of the scheme. We are currently considering what options are likely to be most effective in this area and hope to have proposals available for consultation shortly.