§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what proposals he has to reduce the subsidy paid to rendering plants to dispose of offal; [48788]
(2) what proposals he has to compensate farmers affected by the reduction in compensation to rendering plants for the disposal of offal. [48789]
§ Mr. RookerThe objective of the rendering industry support was to avert the disorderly collapse of the red meat/animal waste chain in the immediate aftermath of the BSE crisis in March 1996. This objective was achieved.
318WSome £97 million was made available for the rendering industry in the financial year 1996–97. In return, renderers were required to maintain pre-crisis prices and charges to all their suppliers of animal waste. A further £59 million of aid, also designed to help the entire red meat/animal waste chain, was made available during the financial year 1997–98. The support, which was always intended to be temporary, was phased out gradually during 1997–98 as originally planned to enable the chain to adjust to the changing economics.
The support has served its purpose and there are no plans to reintroduce it. It is for the livestock industry to take responsibility for disposing of its waste in a safe and sustainable manner. The Government are, however, fully aware of the current difficulties faced by farmers in the disposal of fallen stock. Officials are liaising with farming representatives to consider how farmers should in future dispose of fallen stock and to encourage the industry to put suitable arrangements in place.