§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the amounts of moist co-product feeds and liquids used as feed materials by livestock farmers in conjunction with home-produced feeds or as complements to bought-in feeds in the last year for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of the importance of co-product feeds to the UK livestock industry; [42247]
(2) if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on co-products as feed materials; and what representations she has made to the European Commission to include co-product feeds on the EU's proposed positive list of approved feed materials. [42248]
§ Yvette CooperI have been asked to reply.
I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that industry estimates nearly two million tonnes of moist feed and over one million tonnes of liquid feed is fed annually to British livestock. Many materials derived during the manufacture of food and drink are fed by livestock 424W farmers, or used by manufacturers for feed sold to farmers. These co-products have a nutritional value and are considered an important range of feed materials for the UK livestock industry.
The European Commission has commissioned a feasibility study on the possibility of having a positive list of approved feed materials for use in animal feed. If any such list is to be compiled it is likely that it will include co-products.