Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1163: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her proposals to review the regulations on the composting of household organic waste material; and if she proposes to alter the regulations, which currently require composting to include a heat treatment process for the elimination of pathogens in organic kitchen waste, for example meat, fish and cooked material, to permit the introduction of new technologies incorporating cold composting. [28516/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 lays down health rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption. Household catering waste is classified as a low risk (Category 3) animal by-product for the purpose of the Regulation.

Composting and biogas plants using animal by-products must meet the requirements outlined in Chapter II, Annex VI of the Regulation, in relation to premises, equipment, microbiological testing, hygiene, processing standards, sampling, collection and transport of material.

Under Article 6 of S.I. 248 of 2003, the European Communities (Animal By-products) Regulations 2003 (as amended by S.I. 707 of 2005) which implements the above Regulation, I may grant an approval, attach conditions to an approval, revoke or vary a condition, withdraw an approval or refuse an application to operate a composting or biogas facility.

My Department has been phasing in the implementation of regulations in this area over the past two years, and interested bodies have been notified that 30 September 2006 is the deadline for formal approval.

The composting process involves the breakdown of organic material by microbes. Representative samples of the digestion residues or compost taken during or immediately after processing at a biogas or composting plant must comply with standards specified in Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 in relation to Escherichia coli and Enterococaceae. Representative samples of the digestion residues or compost taken during or on withdrawal from storage must comply with specified standards in relation to Salmonella.

Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 specifies standards and requirements relating to raw material particle size, and minimum processing temperature and time. However in the case of a plant where catering waste is the only animal by-product to be used as a feedstock, other operating parameters may be accepted. The plant must produce documented evidence/research to guarantee an equivalent effect regarding the reduction of pathogens, unless the method employed is otherwise officially approved by the EU Commission as an acceptable alternative treatment method.

Given that there is scope for the introduction of new technologies which guarantee an equivalent effect in reduction of pathogens, I do not propose to review the current regulations in this regard.