22 June 2011

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has issued a statement criticising the Government’s Anaerobic Digestion Strategy Plan and Review of Waste Policy, released 14th June. The CLA said the plan has let down farmers and landowners by failing to deal with waste in a sustainable way in its reviews.

The Association said by neither preventing valuable natural resources from being incinerated, nor considering anaerobic digestion (AD) as a first option, the Government had failed in its commitment to increase energy provision from waste.

CLA President William Worsley lamented the Government for a lack of real commitment to anaerobic digestion, "Farmers and landowners have been let down by Defra. Far from demonstrating a real commitment to farm-based AD, this strategy and action plan rehashes existing commitments with no new vision.

"The CLA called for a review of regulation to introduce a 'positive list' of feedstocks as is used in Holland and Germany to avoid excessive costs and red tape. The strategy and action plan suggests the existing waste regulations are fine, which is clearly not the case. I am disappointed the partnership approach promised to the sector has not been delivered."

Mr Worsley added that the Review of Waste Policy was also disappointing for farmers and landowners because it does not effectively address the nuisance of fly-tipping. He said, "The CLA has long advocated a scheme that would reduce the cost of dealing with fly-tipped waste, but Defra has not proposed to investigate this in the Review."