Ireland – Meat and bonemeal problem addressed

A government committee has concluded that the co-incineration of meat and bonemeal (MBM) in cement production and electricity generation can provide the country with a safe and efficient means of disposal of MBM.

The EU ban on the use of MBM in farm animal feed left Ireland, like other EU states, with a problem of what to do with a previously useful end product.  In Ireland, the 100,000t of bonemeal produced annually is now waste product with significant disposal costs, particularly as the country does not have domestic disposal facilities and export is required.

To address the problem, the Irish government created in April 2002 an interdepartmental and agency committee, which included representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Food, Environment Heritage and Local Government, Finance, Enterprise - Trade and Employment, Communications - Marine and Natural Resources, Enterprise Ireland, The Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the Environment Protection Agency. The Inter-Departmental Committee on Disposal Options for Meat and Bonemeal has now published its report and Joe Walsh, minister for agriculture and food, said the government would encourage the development of suitable projects using MBM in line with the committee’s recommendations.