Vol. 572 No. 1
104 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of meat and bonemeal generated each week here; the total amount of this in storage to date; the cost implications of this to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22602/03]
105 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his proposals to deal with the problem of the disposal of meat and bone meal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22603/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 105 together.
In 2002, a total amount of 144,000 tonnes of meat and bonemeal was produced in Ireland, which works out at an average of 2,769 tonnes per week. At present, the total amount of MBM in storage is 210,000 tonnes. Of this, my Department has responsibility for 172,000 tonnes which gives rise to an annual storage cost of €3.75 million. The balance, though stored under controlled conditions, is the responsibility of the private sector.
In the period January 2001 to date this year, close on €146 million will have been spent by the Exchequer on the production, storage and disposal of MBM. The subsidy ended on 31 May 2003 and any expenditure arising after that relates to a carry over of payments from before the ending of the subsidy and to the storage and disposal of product built up during the period of subsidy.
There are currently no domestic disposal facilities for MBM produced in Ireland. A number of proposals for the use of MBM in industry or energy generation in this country are at various stages of consideration by the relevant regulatory authorities including the Environmental Protection Agency.
I established an interdepartmental agency/ committee to examine the best available options for the use of MBM in industry and in non-feed uses here. I expect to have the report from that committee submitted to me in the near future.
