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The absurdity of Margaret Beckett's
goldplated tallow directive
Editorial
Filed 08 Dec 05
©www.land-care.org.uk
The National Farmers Union of Scotland
(NFUS) along with the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers,
NFU England and Wales, Ulster Farmers' Union, Northern Ireland Meat
Exporters Association and British Meat Processors Association have
written a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Environment
and Rural Affairs, Margaret Beckett, expressing their concern at
the UK Government plan to implement the EU Waste Incineration Directive,
specifically with regard to the proposed prohibition of the burning
of animal fat (tallow). Tallow is an environmentally-friendly fuel.
The UK is one of the few remaining EU countries still planning to
ban tallow as a fuel as from 28th |December 2005. Up to 22 of the
25 EU member states have agreed that tallow can continue to be used
as fuel.
Should the Directive come into force
and, if implemented in full, tallow would be classified as a waste
product which could only be burnt in incinerators which meet strict
requirements. The cost of upgrading boilers to meet the terms of
the Directive makes conversion impractical. Consequently disposal
costs would have to be borne by the industry, and plants would have
to revert of burning heavy oil.
As NFUS President John Kinnaird pointed
out:
"The current UK Government position flies in the face of
commitments not to goldplate EU legislation. Bizarrely, if this
decision goes ahead, we will see rendering plants switching from
burning renewable fuel to burning oil just two weeks after the
Government announced its plans to encourage the country to do
exactly the opposite"
©www.land-care.org.uk
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