Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 298: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if her Department have plans to relax the regulations regarding meat and bone meal; if so, if her Department will allow MBM to be used as fertilizer in the coming years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8009/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish rendering industry produced 151,000 tonnes of meat and bone-meal (MBM) in 2007. The use or disposal of this material is strictly controlled under Regulation (EC) No. 1774 of 2002 and the bulk of MBM produced continues to be disposed of by way of export for incineration. My policy is to encourage alternative uses of MBM in Ireland and I am aware of proposals to use MBM in the production of fertilizer.

Commission Regulation 181 of 2006 allowed the application of MBM based fertilisers subject to a grazing restriction of 21 days. The Regulation further permits Member States to introduce stricter national controls. Landspread of organic fertilisers containing Category 3 MBM is permitted in this country under S.I. No. 615 of 2006 subject to such controls, including a requirement that the fertiliser go through a process of technical transformation to render it unpalatable to animals; a 3-year prohibition on grazing by farmed animals where the fertiliser is applied; a 12-month prohibition on making silage or hay where the material is applied; prohibition on access by farmed animals to the fertiliser; a requirement that the fertiliser must not come into contact with feed; and the registration of end-users subject to conditions laid down by the Department.

Ireland has traditionally taken advantage of flexibility to introduce stricter national controls to counter the risk of BSE and other diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease in the context of protecting public and animal health and to safeguard our very important beef export industry. My Department is currently engaged in a review of regulations in this area with a view to possible relaxation in light of the significantly reduced incidence of BSE.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 299: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if her Department has had discussions with companies that are considering using meat and bone meal as fertilizer; if in these discussions annual tonnage forecasts were discussed for said use of MBM; the details of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8010/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish rendering industry produced 151,000 tonnes of MBM in 2007. The use or disposal of this material is strictly controlled under Regulation (EC) No. 1774 of 2002 and the bulk of MBM produced continues to be disposed of by way of export for incineration.

My policy is to encourage alternative uses of MBM in Ireland. In excess of 20,000 tonnes of MBM was used in cement manufacture during 2007 as a very useful replacement for fossil fuels. I am also aware of proposals to use Category 3 MBM in the production of fertilizer. Landspread of organic fertilisers containing Category 3 MBM is permitted in this country under S.I. No. 615 of 2006, subject to certain restrictions.

I can confirm that officials of my Department have had initial discussions with a number of parties interested in the use of MBM in fertilizer. As the information concerned is commercially sensitive, I cannot disclose the details of any forecasts discussed during those meetings regarding how much MBM might be used for this purpose.