Vol. 495 No. 5
95 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of meat and bonemeal in storage: the intention, if any, his Department has in this regard; if it is to be incinerated; if so, the steps his Department is taking to start this process; the average amount of meat and bonemeal which will be incinerated on a yearly basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20598/98]
My Department holds 8,600 tonnes of meat and bonemeal and 2,600 tonnes of tallow produced from specified risk material in secure stores. Arrangements are under way to have this material destroyed. An EU wide open tender procedure is currently being run by my Department with a closing date of 28 October.
On average 10,000 tonnes of meat and bonemeal and 2,5 00 tonnes of tallow are produced from specified risk material on an annual basis in the rendering plant dedicated to this purpose. The destruction of this material is a matter for the industry.
