AQW 5066/11

Mr Thomas Burns
Social Democratic and Labour Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 04/03/2011
Answered On Date: 22/03/2011
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (i) whether she is aware that the projected cost of safely and lawfully disposing of poultry litter in the Republic of Ireland to comply with the EU Nitrates Directive is approximately £12 per tonne; and (ii) how her officials calculated the projected £90 per tonne cost of disposing of poultry litter in Northern Ireland in compliance with the Nitrates Directive should the proposed Rose Energy incinerator at Glenavy not go ahead.

Answer:

(i)Currently approximately 43,000 tonnes of poultry litter per year are disposed of by exporting to the south of Ireland. This is used in mushroom compost and for land spreading as an organic fertiliser on arable crops. The costs of these disposal options are estimated to range from £12 - £15 per tonne.

(ii)The estimated cost of £90 per tonne for the disposal of poultry litter produced in the north specifically relates to disposal in the Netherlands where some limited capacity is available at the Moerdijk power plant. This option would involve transporting poultry litter to the Netherlands by road and sea.

A range of options for disposing of poultry litter have been actively investigated including alternative treatment systems available in Britain, the south of Ireland and further afield. Conclusions of this work to date indicate that most potential options are not available due to lack of capacity.