§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the letter of 30 September 1998 from the Minister with responsibility for agriculture, the environment and fisheries to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, if he will make a statement on the outcome of his talks with the water industry and the British Retailers Consortium on the recycling of sewage sludge on farmland. [65399]
§ Mr. MacdonaldThe talks were between the water industry and the British Retail Consortium. The talks resulted in an agreement on the recycling of sewage sludge to farmland. This included ending the application of untreated sewage sludge to grass for silage and grazing by the end of 1998. It also included the phasing out of the application of all untreated sludge to agricultural land by the end of 2001. The Government have already announced they will amend the relevant regulations and code of practice to enforce the 2001 deadline.