Mr. Paul Kelly:

I agree that an outright ban is inconsistent with the legal base, which is the internal market. One would see an impact on the free movement of packaged goods and it will also be inconsistent with the policy objectives of the circular economy package. We are opposed to alternatives such as the latte levy and it is worth bearing in mind that a latte is 80% milk. I am sure the Minister will look forward to detailed consultation with the dairy sector and farmers on that.

The EU plastics strategy makes reference to deposit schemes but it also references key measures to improve the economics and quality of plastic recycling and to put in place well-designed EPR schemes. We believe we have a well-designed scheme but we would welcome more stringent targets.