John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the situation regarding making safe use of digestate from anaerobic digestion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26475/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I expect to introduce shortly an amendment to the relevant national legislation to allow for the spreading on non-pasture land of digestate produced by composting and biogas plants using animal by-products in their inputs. These arrangements are being introduced primarily in the context of EU legislation that allows the digestate produced in such plants to be spread on non-pasture land. In introducing this amendment, I have had regard to the declining numbers of BSE cases here and the need to provide productive outlets for the disposal of certain animal by-products where this does not pose a risk to public or animal health.