Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2004
93 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of meat and bonemeal currently awaiting disposal; the estimated cost of disposing of this waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4938/04]
View answerI have answered this as a priority question. At present meat and bonemeal is being produced at a rate of 2,500 tonnes per week, which is 125,000 tonnes per annum, in Ireland. In the main, this is exported expeditiously for incineration abroad. Of the commercially owned stocks of meal in store, it is estimated that the material awaiting disposal totals nearly 46,000 tonnes. The cost of disposing of the residual 172,000 tonnes of meal stored in Ireland since the BSE crisis of 2001 will total €24 million. This was the subject of an EU-wide tender adjudicated last December. This material will begin to be moved abroad for incineration this week.
Would the Minister of State risk making any predictions on the future stocks of meat and bonemeal and how he sees that shaping up in the coming years?
The good news story is that the level of BSE has dropped dramatically over recent years, proving that the policy adopted at the insistence of the European Union has been successful and hopefully Ireland will soon be free of BSE. The problem will always have a tail but the figures speak for themselves. I do not have the exact figures before me now but previous parliamentary questions show that the graph is going in the right direction.
I do not know if the Minister of State can see the future but does he envisage a time when meat and bonemeal may revert to its previous use as a very important soil additive, or has that day gone since the BSE crisis? Meanwhile, is he aware of the very deep concerns expressed by communities, for example in Edenderry in Offaly, which are very unhappy about the prospective plans to burn meat and bonemeal in their area? Has he considered whether other technologies about which I have previously asked, such as alkaline hydrolysis or whatever, are worthy of consideration, particularly as the EU steering committee has passed this technology for non-hazardous meat and bonemeal?
I would not like to speculate on what is happening in Edenderry. I leave that to the Deputy.
Does the Minister of State know about it?
The Minister of State will be up there shortly.
It is in my new constituency. I hope we can some day use meat and bonemeal which is a very valuable resource. However, I do not wish to speculate on that. Deputy Sargent has several times raised the question of alternative methods of disposal of animal by-products, as has Deputy Upton. Certain regulations are allowed by the EU animal by-products regulation whereby certain processes can be used in the treatment of animal by-products. The Deputy referred specifically to alkaline hydrolysis and the Minister has answered questions here to that effect, stating that he would like to see the day when that might happen. The process involves treating the animal by-products in an alkaline solution at 150 degrees Celsius for up to six hours in a sealed container.
Several issues must be addressed, particularly the large volume of highly alkalised solution produced during the process which, in turn, even following further treatment, would have to be disposed of possibly by incineration or co-incineration. There is doubt about its effectiveness in the disposal of a mass powdery material such as meat and bonemeal. It has not been tested adequately for this purpose. Alkaline hydrolysis may in future offer a viable alternative to the rendering of some animal by-products. We would all love to see that day, but there is a long way to go in that regard.
Are tests being done?
Tests are being done on an ongoing basis, not only in this country but also in other countries.
Has any research been done on ways, other than incineration, of disposing of meat and bonemeal? Is material from Northern Ireland being disposed of in landfills in the South of Ireland?
There is no material being disposed of in the South of Ireland. A substantial amount of meat and bonemeal is exported to landfill in Northern Ireland. However, that is a decision for the people there. The only option open to the Department and the rendering companies is to move it abroad for incineration. It is a valuable product which is used in France, Germany and other countries for road and bridge building and as a fertiliser following incineration. We will have a debate on this issue in future. Our position is that it must be exported.
Does the Minister know the weekly cost to the Department of storing such material? He may not have the figures with him.
I do not have the figures with me. The storage costs to Ireland are for the 172,000 tonnes which built up over the years. Since last year the responsibility has been handed to the rendering companies. There is no additional cost at present. We hope to move that 172,000 tonnes from the country by the end of 2004, which would result in no cost to the Department of Agriculture and Food. The cost is approximately €24 million for storage and €146 million for disposal.
