Vol. 529 No. 1
389 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will provide information on the spreading of pharmaceutical and other companies' waste on agricultural land; the types of waste and the companies from which this waste arises; where these wastes are being spread; and if Teagasc has approved this practice. [1511/01]
My Department does not have the information sought by the Deputy and neither my Department nor Teagasc have a role in approving the spreading of the wastes referred to.
I understand that the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the licensing and regulation of all significant waste disposal and recovering activities. I am informed that the spreading of pharmaceutical waste on agricultural land is not permitted by the EPA.
390 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will report on the use of Biofert on lands; if he is confident that as many toxic materials as possible have been removed from Biofert; if he has satisfied himself that as many toxic materials as possible will be removed in future; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that lands have been irreversibly poisoned in Sweden, Canada and other countries as a result of the application of heat treated human sludge. [1512/01]
Approximately 12,000 tonnes of Biofert are produced annually at Dublin Corporation's sewage treatment plant at Ringsend. This is spread on approximately 50 farms in the Leinster region and a nutrient management plan is prepared for each farm involved.
For Biofert to be suitable for land application it must comply with the requirements of the Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) Regulations, 1998 and the Code of Good Practice for the Use of Biosolids in Agriculture (Department of the Environment and Local Government, 1999).
The process of producing Biofert involves thermal treatment of sewage sludge. The standard used to assess the level of pathogens in Biofert is that set by the USA's Environmental Protection Agency for class A sludge. The pathogen level in Biofert (which is treated at 450-500 degrees centigrade) is only 1% of the maximum level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
