Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minutes of Evidence


Supplementary memorandum submitted by Defra

    —  Further details of the response to the national collection scheme for fallen livestock, from farmers (Questions 64-65 refer).

  Defra and Devolved Administrations sent letters to all livestock farmers before Easter requesting expressions of interest in joining a national fallen stock scheme. Responses as of 30 May (including some extrapolation) are summarised below.

Table 1: Numbers of holdings by size band which were sent letter.
SizeSmall MediumLarge All sizes
England43,84842,833 18,723105,404
Wales 11,6006,227 6,23724,064
Scotland6,4906,275 5,07817,843
N Ireland6,71818,077 2,87827,673
UK68,65673,412 32,916174,984

  Based on June census returns. Excludes holdings stating that they no longer have livestock or where letter returned by Post Office and Scottish holdings in Highlands and Islands that will be classified as remote.

Table 2: Numbers of holdings responding positively classified by their response and size band.
SizeSmall MediumLarge All sizes
England4,06316,512 11,91432,489
Wales 1,6242,491 4,4918,606
Scotland7733,159 3,9627,894
N Ireland1,4527,384 1,71710,553
UK7,91229,546 22,08459,542

Table 3: Percentage of holdings responding positively classified by their response and size band.
SizeSmall MediumLarge All sizes
England9.3 38.563.630.8
Wales14.040.0 72.036.0
Scotland11.950.3 78.244.3
N Ireland21.640.8 59.738.1
UK11.540.2 67.134.0

Table 4: Amount raised from subscriptions based on positive responses. £m
SizeSmall MediumLarge All sizes
England0.20 1.602.334.13
Wales 0.080.25 0.901.23
Scotland0.040.31 0.771.12
N Ireland0.070.74 0.341.15
UK0.392.90 4.347.63

  Using £50 per small holding, £100 per medium holding, £200 per large holding

    —  The rules that apply to the disposal of ash from both small-scale and large-scale incinerators (Questions 103-105 refer).

  For the purposes of this Guidance Note, "residues" means any liquid or solid material generated by the incineration or co-incineration process, the waste water treatment or other processes within the incineration or co-incineration plant. They include bottom ash and slag, fly ash and boiler dust.

  Residues resulting from the operation of the incineration or co-incineration plant must be minimised in their amount and harmfulness. Residues must be recycled, where appropriate, directly in the plant or outside in accordance with relevant Community legislation.

    —  Residues from incinerators are controlled wastes unless the incinerators burn agricultural waste (ie fallen stock). Controlled wastes must be:

  (a)  consigned for disposal at a licensed landfill facility; or

  (b)  only if a waste management licence is obtained, disposed to land.

    —  Ash from incinerators which burn whole ruminant carcases or other Specified Risk Material may not be disposed to land, and must be disposed of to a suitably licensed landfill site (ie one that holds a waste management licence under Section 35 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or a permit granted under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 or the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000.

    —  We are considering separately whether we should continue to permit the ash from non-SRM incinerators to be applied to land. However, until such decisions are taken, ash from incinerators which burn non-SRM material may be spread to land if it is derived from agricultural waste. However, the requirement for a waste management licence effectively prevents the application of non-agricultural waste eg from pet crematoria to land.

  Transport and intermediate storage of dry residues in the form of dust must take place in such a way as to prevent dispersal in the environment (eg closed containers).

    —  Details of the circumstances in which waste meat from small shops could be treated as household waste (Questions 111, 119 and 123 refer).

  The EU Regulation defines catering waste as waste food from households and restaurants. Waste from retail outlets cannot therefore be considered as catering waste. However, we secured a transition period until the end of 2005 which allows for former foodstuffs to be collected, treated or disposed of in a landfill site as though they were catering waste. If they are to be disposed of in a landfill site, measures must be taken to ensure that raw meat and raw fish is excluded.

  We recognise that the requirement to exclude raw meat and raw fish from foodstuffs being sent to landfill may cause practical difficulties for some retailers and small food manufacturers. We also recognise that it would be inappropriate for small retailers (corner shops and garages) to have to dispose of small quantities of raw meat products. A proportionate approach to enforcement will therefore be taken to ensure that the burden on small retail outlets is minimised.

  A Task Force is to be established which will be composed of representatives of the relevant industries and enforcement bodies. Its main aim will be to develop an implementation plan which will include guidance on how the requirements can be applied in a proportionate manner. However, the Task Force will also be working with relevant organisations to ensure that by the end of 2005, former foodstuffs are no longer sent to landfill but are treated in alternative outlets such as biogas, composting or rendering plants.

    —  Details of the extra costs the animal by-products regulation will impose on the food processing industry (Question 120 refers).

  The transition period will maintain existing controls in respect of food processing premises. Some of the waste from such premises is already considered to be animal by-products under the Animal By-Products Order 1999 and landfill is not a permitted disposal route at present. Other waste (waste from the production of products which are not intended to be cooked before they are eaten) is considered to be catering waste; this material will still be able to be disposed of to landfill during the transition period. There should not therefore be any immediate implications for food processing premises by way of extra cost.

13 June 2003


 
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