HC Deb 27 January 1998 vol 305 cc211-5W
Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tonnage of fallen stock, animal waste and other tissue categorised as high risk by EU directive 90/667 has been produced in the United Kingdom over the last three years for which figures are available. [25083]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: Figures are not available for the tonnage of high risk material produced in the United Kingdom although the Licensed Animal Slaughterers' and Salvage Association has estimated that around 300,000 tonnes are produced annually.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce interim financial support to enable those engaged in the collection and disposal of fallen stock in the United Kingdom to continue to operate on a nation-wide basis in the period before the implementation of United Kingdom legislation consistent with EU environmental health and commercial objectives. [25093]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: There is already UK legislation implementing EU legislation in this area. The livestock industry has a great deal to gain from maintaining public confidence in its ability to dispose of its waste in a sustainable manner. I expect it to meet the costs of disposing of fallen stock.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to legislate to control or proscribe on-farm burial. [25085]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: There is already legislation to control on-farm burial. The Animal By-Products Order 1992, as amended, permits the burial of fallen stock only in certain circumstances and requires burial to be at a depth beyond the reach of carnivorous animals. Under the Water Resources Act 1991, it is an offence to cause or knowingly permit a discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter or solid waste matter into any controlled waters without the proper authority. The European Commission is reviewing the disposal options for fallen stock and may come forward with proposals for further EU legisation.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the current requirements to charge for processing high-risk material; and what estimate he has made of the value of dead stock which will in future be buried in-farm when the charges commence. [25084]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998): It is a commercial matter for renderers whether to charge for processing high risk material. State Veterinary Service staff have been asked to report incidents of unlawful disposal of dead stock on farm.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the cost per tonne of the disposal of high-risk material via landfill in each of the next three years. [25097]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: Since 1 January 1998, the Animal By-Products (Amendment) Order 1997 has restricted the use of landfill for the disposal of unprocessed animal by-products. Where landfill is permitted, the cost of disposal is a commercial matter for individual waste suppliers to negotiate with the landfill sites concerned.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about the potential increased use of dead animal pits on United Kingdom farms. [25088]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: No such discussions have taken place.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to review the Code of Good Animal Practice as it relates to on-farm burial. [25086]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: The Code of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Water, which provides advice on burial on-farm, has recently been reviewed and it will be issued soon.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the likely effect on the negotiations currently under way to lift the EU export ban on beef of increased use of dead pits on UK farms as a route of disposal for fallen stock. [25091]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: EU Directive 90/667, which permits the burial on-farm of fallen stock only in certain circumstances, applies to all Member States. GB legislation reflects the provisions in the Directive. This subject is also addressed by the Code of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Water. This issue of fallen stock has not been raised in the course of negotiations on our proposals for lifting the beef export ban.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those EU countries which currently allow an on-farm disposal route for fallen stock. [25090]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: An accurate list is not available but it is believed that most Member States permit on-farm burial of fallen stock, although in a number of countries it is allowed only in limited circumstances.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will review the effectiveness of the Rendering Industry Support Scheme as a means of allowing the knacker/fallen stock trade to provide a low-cost disposal service to the farmer and livestock producers; [25095]

(2) if he will (a) authorise an immediate review of the costs to the UK economy of the externality and direct costs of the disposal of animal waste and (b) continue the support available via the Rendering Industry Support Scheme currently being phased out until such a review is completed; [25092]

(3) what levels of financial support have been made available for the last three years and will be available over the next two years to businesses offering a fallen stock collection service to the livestock sectors in each county within the United Kingdom; [25082]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: The objective of the support to the rendering industry was to avoid the disorderly collapse of the meat chain in the immediate aftermath of the BSE crisis. This was achieved. Support of £97 million was first paid under the rendering industry support arrangements in 1996–97 and up to £59 million has been available in 1997–98. The conditions in the spring of 1996 which gave rise to the threat of collapse of the meat chain no longer exist and there are no plans to continue to support for the disposal of animal waste in 1998–99.

Following the election, the Government carefully considered representations made by a wide range of interested bodies before confirming the phasing out of support in 1997–98. There are no plans to review the position again. The livestock industry has a great deal to gain from maintaining public confidence in its ability to dispose of its waste in a sustainable manner. I therefore expect it to meet the cost of disposing of fallen stock.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact black-market disposal of fallen stock on-farm would have on the traceability measures currently planned to enable the EU to sanction the lifting of the beef export ban. [25089]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 December 1998]: Fallen stock must be disposed of so that they do not enter the human foodchain and there are already measures to prevent such entry from taking place. The computerised database which will be introduced later this year will improve tracing of cattle, including those which die on farm.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what assessment he has made of the implications of a dead pit disposal route for fallen stock on the authorities charged with monitoring the quality of private water supplies in rural areas; [25094]

(2) if he will estimate the risks to (i) environmental, (ii) human and (iii) animal health from uncontrolled on-farm burial schemes of fallen stock; [25087]

(3) what assessment he has made of the public health and environmental consequences of dead animals being buried on-farm in future. [25080]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: I would expect local authorities to continue monitoring private water supplies in areas where burial pits are used to dispose of fallen stock. The use of burial pits, and other methods of on-farm burial, is controlled by legislation and reinforced by the Code of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of the Water to avoid contaminating the environment or posing a disease risk.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many businesses operating in the United Kingdom currently offer a fallen stock collection service to the livestock sectors in each country. [25081]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: Many knackers' yards and hunt kennels offer a collection service for fallen stock. The total number of these businesses in counties where they exist is as follows:

Number
Borders\Lothian 6
Cambridgeshire 9
Cardiff 17
Carmarthenshire 26
Cheshire 2
Co. Antrim 5
Co. Down 1
Co. Londonderry 2
Cornwall 24
Cumbria 16
Devon 32
Dorset 9
Dumfries and Galloway 4
Essex 12
Gloucestershire 11
Grampian 1
Gwynedd 11
Hampshire 14
Kent 11
Lancashire 7
Humberside 3
Lincolnshire 10
Norfolk 8
Nottingham 12
Oxfordshire 17
Powys 8
Shropshire 10
Somerset 21
Staffordshire 4
Suffolk 12
Surrey 10
Tayside 1
Tyne and Wear 15
Wiltshire 6
Worcester 11
Yorkshire 31

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what representations he has received on the proposed arrangements for the collection, treatment and disposal of fallen stock and other high-risk animal waste; [25079]

(2) if he will make a statement outlining policy on the future arrangements for the collection, treatment and disposal of fallen stock and other high-risk animal waste. [25078]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 26 January 1998]: The Government consider that it is the responsibility of the livestock industry to ensure that there are suitable arrangements for the collection and disposal of fallen stock. I have discussed the current position with the Licensed Animal Slaughterers' and Salvage Association (LASSA) and my officials are discussing future arrangements with LASSA, the Meat and Livestock Commission and the farming industry.