Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 6 Nov 1996

Vol. 471 No. 2

Written Answers. - Meat and Bone Meal Production.

Hugh Byrne

Question:

168 Mr. H. Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the number of meat and bone meal producers; the number of production locations; the output of meat and bone meal of each plant in each of the years from 1990 to date in 1996; the amount of meat and bone meal on hand in 1990 when it was banned; the system of auditing stocks in each of the years from 1990 to date in 1996; if he will make these audits available; the amount of meat and bone meal currently on hand; the location in each case; the steps, if any, he plans to take to dispose of this meat and bone meal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20604/96]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

There are nine rendering plants approved to produce meat and bone meal in Ireland, two plants in each of the counties Meath and Tipperary and one plant in each of the counties Cavan, Galway, Mayo, Wexford and Wicklow. The annual output of each of these plants is commercially sensitive information and is not published by the Department on an individual plant basis. However the following table sets out the total output of the Irish rendering industry for the years 1990 to 1995 inclusive, the figures for 1996 are not available yet.

There are no official figures available for stocks of meat and bone meal held at the time of the ban on 13 August 1990. The Department carries out random, unannounced inspections on an ongoing basis as a means of checking stocks.

The rendering industry has indicated meat and bone meal being stored at present represents a number of weeks production. The majority of these stocks are kept at the ports of New Ross and Drogheda. Meat and bone meal is still a commercial product and continues to be traded as such.

The Deputy will be aware that I have recently introduced additional controls at various levels in relation to meat and bone meal.

Total Output of Meat and Bone Meal From EC Approved Rendering Plants 1990—1995

Year	Total Output
	(tonnes)
1990	90,872
1991	100,287
1992	106,308
1993	86,701
1994	105,560
1995	109,310