Tallow victory for environment and meat industry

The Government has bowed to heavy pressure from the NFU and the meat industry to grant the rendering industry an extension to continue to use tallow to fire their plants, rather than having to convert to heavy oil.

After a meeting with Defra minister of state, Elliot Morley today, the NFU, the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS), and the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) released the following joint statement.

"We are all delighted common sense has prevailed and tallow can continue to be used as a fuel by rendering plants. The industry has argued the continued burning of tallow in rendering plants would be more beneficial for the environment that switching to alternative fossil fuels."

NFU president, Peter Kendall, said: "I am delighted with this outcome given the perverse environmental impact which would have resulted had Government not adopted this sensible and pragmatic use of by-products.

"The use of tallow in rendering plants provides a number of benefits. It allows the beneficial re-use of material from the rendering process and compared to alternative fossil fuels, tallow releases less carbon dioxide when burnt."

Maurice MaCartney, Director of the BMPA, said: "At a time when UK Government is pressing for environmental and agricultural sustainability, it is absurd to insist that meat and rendering plants cease to burn a fuel such as tallow with lower carbon emissions than oil.

"Had the rules not changed, meat processors, farmers, farming groups and livestock market would all have seen considerable additional cost for their businesses. "

Norman Bagley, Policy Director of AIMS, said: "The introduction of the tallow ban would have posed a serious threat to the future sustainability of the medium and smaller sized processing sector, adding an extra £100,000 to the annual disposal costs of an average sized plant."

The NFU and the representatives from the meat and livestock industry were informed during their meeting with Eliott Morley, that some renderers had indicated that previously declared price rises for the disposal of by-products would no longer stand.

Mr Kendall said: "The success of this outcome is down to the NFU, the meat industry and Defra working together to ensure policy delivers proportionate controls in protecting the environment."