Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 18 Jun 2002

Vol. 553 No. 2

Written Answers. - Bovine Disease Controls.

Tom Hayes

Question:

194 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if, in view of EU requirements that member states must in the future, dispose domestically of their BSE related materials, he has formulated plans for the way in which this will be effected in Ireland. [13692/02]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to processed animal proteins. These are defined in Article 1 of Council Decision 2000/766/EC of 4 December 2000 as follows: meat and bone meal, meat, meal, bone meal, blood meal, dried plasma, and other blood products, hydrolysed proteins, hoof meal, horn meal, poultry offal meal, feather meal, dry greaves, fish meal, dicalcium phosphate, gelatine and any other similar products including mixtures, feedingstuffs, feed additives and premixtures, containing these products.

Commission Decision 2001/9/EC of 22 May 2001 permits the movement of such processed animal proteins between member states and to third countries once certain conditions are fulfilled and provided they are not destined for uses prohibited by Article 3(1)(a) of Council Decision 2000/766/EC, which forbids the trade of processed animal proteins intended for the feeding of farmed animals which are kept, fattened or bred for the production of food.

Stocks of meat and bone meal are currently stored under my Department's supervision and control. Some of these stocks are being exported to the continent for incineration, as provided for by Commission Decision 97/735/EC of 21 October 1997. This option has so far proved to be the most effective means of disposal.

In view of the expense involved, my Department is keeping under review all possible other means of disposal, and a number of possibilities including its use in industry and energy production are being examined.