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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 18 November 2003

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cement Kilns

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls exist over the (a) level and (b) toxicity of emissions from cement kilns used for co-incineration; what chemical analysis of the (i) product and (ii) dust generated is carried out; and how these controls compare in respect of maximum emission levels with standard incinerators. [138575]

Mr. Morley: Cement kilns are regulated by the Environment Agency under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (the PPC Regulations). The PPC Regulations control industrial pollution through a system of permits, and require that operators use the best available techniques ("BAT") to control pollution from their activities. In determining applications for PPC permits, the Environment Agency considers the level and toxicity of emissions and sets permit conditions to ensure a high level of protection to the environment (inclusive of human health) as a whole.

The analysis of the final cement product is outside the remit of the Environment Agency. Dust generated from the process is collected in abatement equipment and then discarded from the process. Such material is classified as a waste and its generation and subsequent management are regulated under PPC at the installation, and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 once the dust is discarded from the installation. Under certain circumstances the alkalinity levels in this type of waste may be sufficient for it to be given the technical designation of "hazardous" waste. The analysis required would depend on whether the material is consigned for recovery, landfill or any other treatment for disposal.

The maximum emission levels specified for installations manufacturing cement or incinerating waste are based on what the Environment Agency considers to be BAT for each individual installation, but also take into consideration local factors and other relevant statutory requirements. As the technologies for cement manufacture and waste incineration are different, the maximum emission limits for the principal emissions (oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, particulates etc.) are not directly comparable.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls exist over the nature of fuels used in cement kilns where co-incineration takes place. [138576]

Mr. Morley: Cement kilns that co-incinerate waste are regulated by the Environment Agency under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales)

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Regulations 2000 ("the PPC Regulations"). The operator is required to comply with the 1989 Municipal Waste Incineration Directives (89/429/EEC and 89/369/EEC), the 1994 Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive (94/67/EC) and from 28 December 2005 the Waste incineration Directive (2000/76/EC).

The Environment Agency is the regulator for such cement kilns. Permits issued under the PPC Regulations contain permit conditions which control the type and nature of the fuel to be used, and establish the operating conditions under which that fuel could be used.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the types of (a) fuels and (b) raw materials used since 1 January in the production of cement at Rugby Cement Works, Rugby. [138579]

Mr. Morley: Since 1 January 2003 to date the cement works in Rugby has used as fuel: coal, fuel oil (for site vehicles) and gas oil (as start up fuel); and as raw materials: chalk, clay, grinding aids and air entrainers, gypsum, iron oxide source, limestone filler, lubricating oils and other maintenance fluids and pulverised fuel ash.

Flooding (Medmenham and Marlow)

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 17 September 2003, Official Report, columns 776–77W, on flooding, what progress has been made with regard to pre-feasibility studies to identify options for the alleviation of flooding in Medmenham and Marlow. [138467]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 13 November 2003]: I understand that the Environment Agency's study of options for reducing flood risk in Medmenham and related areas will be concluded by the end of November. The agency is planning to present the findings to local flood action groups and councils in December and January. I also understand that a report on the agency's study of options for Firview Close, Marlow is expected by the end of November. In both cases the conclusion of studies is a month later than expected previously because the agency's consultants have been looking at further possible options.

I understand that the agency's consultants have completed a pre-feasibility investigation into options for the Pound Lane area, Marlow, and that the indications are that a scheme to construct a bund at the rear of Pound Lane to reduce the impact of overland flooding may be justifiable. Further investigations into groundwater problems would be required at feasibility stage.

GM Crops

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent meetings she has had with her EU counterparts at which plans to change the procedure for approval of GM (a) foods and (b) seeds within the EU were discussed; [138218]

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Mr. Morley: Ministers from the Department have regular discussions with their EU counterparts on issues relating to genetically modified crops, seeds and foods. The issue has, in particular, featured on the agenda for several recent meetings of Councils of Agriculture and Environment Ministers.

For instance, at the Environment Council in July 2003 EU Ministers agreed to two new EC Regulations. One Regulation elaborates and extends existing rules on traceability and labelling of any GM product. The other Regulation sets up a more centralised and specific regime for the authorisation and labelling of GM food and animal feed, focused on the new European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). It introduces, for the first time, specific rules on GM animal feed and requires the safety aspects of any GMO intended for use in both foods and feed to be considered together.

At a meeting of the Agriculture Council in September 2003 there was a discussion on the European Commission's guidelines on the co-existence of GM and non-GM crops. Final EU decisions on pending applications for consent to grow GM crops are not expected until next year.

EU discussions on the setting of thresholds for adventitious presence of approved GMOs in non-GM seeds are currently being conducted at official level.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the effects she estimates the adoption of genetically modified crops in the UK would have on (a) the cost of farming and (b) profits for farmers. [138807]

Mr. Morley: As part of the GM dialogue process the Government have sponsored the Strategy Unit to carry out a study of the costs and benefits of GM crops, They published their report on 11 July. Comments were invited on the report and a summary of these will be published later this year.

The main conclusions of the report were that existing GM crops could offer some cost and convenience advantages to UK farmers. However, any economic benefit to the UK is likely to be limited in the short term as only a narrow range of existing crops are currently suited to UK conditions and weak consumer demand is likely to limit take-up. Looking to the longer term, future developments in GM crops have the potential to offer more wide ranging benefits to farmers and consumers.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent evidence there is on the impact of the effect of herbicide use on GM maize, with particular reference to levels of herbicide use; and what assessment has been made of that evidence. [139019]

Mr. Morley: The recently published results of the farm-scale evaluations represent the largest study ever made of the impact of herbicide use on GM maize. A copy of the results have been placed in the Library.

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The results of the farm-scale evaluations, and the results of other published work, are currently being considered by the Government's statutory advisers on GM crop releases—The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE). Their advice is expected in December or January.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has held with the Royal Society in respect of herbicide regimes used within the farm-scale evaluations. [139020]

Mr. Morley: Ministers from the Department have held no discussions with the Royal Society regarding herbicide regimes in the farm-scale evaluations.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether decisions will be made by her Department in respect of applications to grow GM crops in the UK before the final results of the farm scale trials are published. [139154]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 17 November 2003]: The final results for three of the four GM crops tested in the farm scale evaluations (beet, forage maize and spring-sown oilseed rape) were published in October 2003. The results for the other GM crop (autumn-sown oilseed rape) will be published next year. Our statutory expert advisers on GMO releases—the Advisory Committee on Release into the Environment (ACRE)—are considering the results for the first three crops and we expect their advice in December or January.

Decisions on whether or not any particular GM crop should be authorised for commercial use in the EU are subject to collective agreement by all EU member states. It is not possible to say precisely when these EU decisions will be taken, but we do not expect any decisions on current applications to cultivate GM crops until well into next year.

There are currently 21 applications for proposed commercial GM products being processed across the EU, 12 of which include cultivation of GM crops (no such application has been made in the UK). Of the 12 applications for cultivation, 10 have not yet completed their initial assessment by the member states in which the applications were made; the other two have received favourable initial assessments, and have been forwarded for scrutiny and comment to the European Commission and all other member states. Neither is a GM crop involved in the farm scale evaluations and in both cases the UK has objected to the applications on the grounds that the applicants have not yet supplied sufficient information for us to make an adequate risk assessment of the likely effects of the GM crops in question on the environment.

The GM forage maize in the farm scale evaluation trials (Bayer T25) already has a consent under EU GM safety legislation for commercial cultivation throughout Europe. This was granted in 1998. Based on the FSE results, the UK will reach a view on whether this consent should be maintained, altered or revoked. Other member states will also need to consider this.

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