Thank you for allowing me to raise this important issue this evening. It is disappointing yet again to note the absence of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry. If he thinks his absence will render the position any better, I must inform him to the contrary.
Adjournment Debate. - Disposal of Animal Carcases.
All the Deputy's colleagues are in Cheltenham.
So that is where he is, and it illustrates what he thinks of the present difficulties being experienced in agriculture.
(Interruptions.)
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle
Deputy Byrne must be allowed make his case without interruption.
I raise this matter to warn the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry that a very serious public health crisis looms because of inadequate facilities to dispose of specified risk material. From answers furnished to parliamentary questions I have tabled it transpires there have been scores of positive samples of meat and bonemeal found in animal feed. In response to the glaring inadequacies of the steps the Minister took he introduced new regulations to separate the rendering of specified risk material, such as spinal cords and eyes. The Minister's knee-jerk reaction to a crisis of his making has resulted in there now being one plant licensed to render specified risk material and most of it must be exported for incineration.
Butchers who operate their own abattoirs and farmers with fallen animals are being quoted ruinous prices to have carcases taken away. I understand approximately 200,000 cattle die annually in farmers' yards. Heretofore farmers telephoned a knacker or kennels to take them away but that is no longer allowed. It appears the Minister is devising the regulations as he progresses without giving any thought to the repercussions.
Many butchers and farmers have been in touch with me and with many of my colleagues within the past week informing us that they have no intention of taking cattle as far as County Cavan. Anybody would readily understand farmers would experience enormous difficulty in travelling such a distance with a single animal.
Monery by-products in County Cavan is the only licensed plant quoting a charge of £400 per tonne to render and destroy specified risk material; remarkably, the corresponding charge in Northern Ireland is £65 per tonne.
The worrying aspect of all of this is that there are already documented incidents of animals being dumped on the roadside, in forests and on beaches, presenting a potentially very serious public health hazard, leading to additional problems of vermin and environmental pollution.
It is imperative that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry establishes a viable rendering regime. The grants he announced for the upgrading of rendering plants today will do nothing to alleviate what is an increasingly urgent public health issue. Even as we speak animals are rotting on the roadside and in ditches because of his knee-jerk reaction. The mess in which we now find ourselves has arisen through the Minister having allowed his public relations agenda to drive what has proven to be an incompetent attempt at crisis management.
Additional plants for the rendering of SRM must be licensed immediately. Most importantly, the Minister must relent and publish the two Cabinet reports prepared on the disposal of slaughterhouse waste. It is disgraceful and I am suspicious of his refusal to publish them, particularly since he promised they would provide a basis for the sustainable disposal of slaughterhouse waste. What is contained in those reports of which he is so politically afraid? Where is his openness, transparency and honesty? I call on the Minister to publish these reports immediately and to licence additional plants for the rendering of SRM.
I thank Deputy Hugh Byrne for raising this important matter.
On 21 February 1997, an order signed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry came into effect which made the collection and isolation of specified risk material, i.e., mainly the skulls and spinal cords of sheep and cattle, mandatory. On that date a rendering company, Monery, in County Cavan, became the sole dedicated plant for rendering specified risk material into meat and bonemeal to be stored for later disposal. All other rendering plants were decontaminated and since 21 February 1996 cannot deal with specified risk material. The order was predicated on the best available scientific advice, on the need to protect the meat and bonemeal industry from possible foreign trade restrictions and to maintain its commercial viability.
I understand from certain reports that there were some teething problems with the operation of the order but that the majority of meat plants since 21 February have been sending their specified risk material to Cavan for rendering without any difficulty. I do not agree there has been any collapse in the rendering system as the eight plants dealing with non-specified risk material are trading and accepting offal at the normal commercial rates from meat plants and have reported no difficulties in recent weeks. There have been some indications that the removal of the specified risk material from meat and bonemeal has hardened the price on certain markets for their product. In addition a certain foreign market inaccessible to Irish rendering companies since June 1996 may be about to reopen because of the prudent decision on the removal of specified risk material.
I fully accept that the introduction of the specified risk material order on 21 February changed the position for collectors of fallen animals. After some initial confusion, Monery agreed to accept fallen animals at the very attractive rate of £30 per tonne, i.e., £15 per cow and £5 per sheep and are looking at ways of reducing transportation costs for those hauliers delivering fallen animals to Monery. It has been said that opening a second dedicated specified risk material plant would ease the position. This possibility in the future has not been discounted but there is no evidence to suggest a second plant would dramatically reduce costs. The single dedicated plant seems more than adequate to cope with demand and the volume of specified risk material.
I do not accept there has been any "collapse" in the rendering industry either in terms of cost effectiveness, intake of raw material or the ability to sell meat and bonemeal. The decisions taken are in the best interests of the livestock industry, the rendering industry and ultimately of the farming sector.
The Dáil adjourned at 10.55 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 13 March 1997.