byproduct intransigence
Anne Bruce
Retailers are up in arms at a "£50m+ bill" they face if DEFRA refuses to phase in EU legislation on waste meat disposal.
They claim that at a meeting this week the department dismissed their pleas for a December 2005 extension to implement the rules, which outlaw meat-based former food stuffs being sent to landfill.
They were told the products must be either incinerated or rendered from the end of May, in spite of an EC ruling last week that raised hopes of a lead-in period. The EC stated: "In view of the strict nature of these requirements, it is necessary to provide transitional measures to allow industry to adjust."
British Retail Consortium director of food policy Richard Ali said: "We calculate 50,000 retail businesses will be affected by this ­ anyone who sells meat products. It will cost retailers upwards from £50m a year."
A small village grocer disposing of one out-of-date packet of sausages a week would pay £832 a year for a bin for rendering, he said. "The crux of the issue is that DEFRA does not understand the food chain." The BRC is now seeking an urgent meeting with DEFRA minister Elliot Morley.
Ali said: "We had been led to believe all pre-packaged meat products could go to landfill for a transitional period. DEFRA has gone back on that."
A spokesman for the Association of Convenience Stores said a "very fractious" meeting at DEFRA had been attended by retailers, including Sainsbury and Tesco, wholesalers and disposers. He said: "We still hope DEFRA will reconsider."
Federation of Wholesale Distributors director general Alan Toft said: "The federation is disappointed. There is still hope DEFRA will understand the practicalities of the industry."
A source predicted wholesalers would be faced with a £5m annual bill for approved disposal.

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