POLLUTION CONTROL AND THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

That this House notes that from 1st November Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Regulations require poultry, meat and egg producing businesses to apply for PPC permits to operate; notes that the industry has accepted the importance of the proposed controls many of which are already good practice; applauds the performance of the industry in contributing to government objectives for reducing energy consumption and in respect of disease prevention; welcomes the industry's delivery of safe, traceable food to consumers and the employment it provides in the rural economy without public subsidy; is concerned by the fragile economic state of the poultry industry following the avian influenza episode which cost the industry some £58 million without EU special market measures funding that the Government declined to apply for; believes that the fees for PPC permits will divert scarce resources from poultry businesses investing in measures to comply with PPC requirements at a time of fragile recovery of sustainable financial and market positions; considers the basis of the Environment Agency's charging scheme and its implications for the future of the industry should be independently investigated; and in the meantime calls on the Government to waive the introduction of PPC permit charges for poultry businesses for a period of three years.