No IPPC charges until review is completed, says BPC

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British poultry farmers have welcomed the Government’s decision to urgently review Environment Agency charges for new Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control permits for pig and poultry farms.

The British Poultry Council has called for an immediate moratorium on IPPC charges until the review is completed.

Lord Rooker, speaking at the BPC awards ceremony in the House of Commons, said that a robust examination is needed in the context of delivering effective and cost efficient arrangements for IPPC permitting and compliance monitoring. He added that the review should also explore the issue of lack of transparency in the Agency’s fees and charges.

Mr. Wright had told Lord Rooker and the gathered politicians, research scientists, and poultry farmers that more use could be made of the assurance schemes, such as Assured Chicken Production and Quality British Turkey, to meet some of the official on-farm requirements of DEFRA and the Environment Agency. Mr. Wright pointed out that the immediate problem facing poultry farmers was the £4million in total IPPC Application Fees, which they have to pay the Agency within the next four weeks.

Speaking after Lord Rooker’s announcement, Mr. Wright said it is good news that the role of assurance schemes and the permitting charges would be examined in the urgent review. BPC was pleased that the Council’s joint lobbying with other poultry bodies, had succeeded in the acknowledgement by DEFRA Ministers that a better way had to be found.

The British Poultry Council is ready to work closely with the other poultry and pig sector bodies, and with Mr. Richard MacDonald, Director-General of the National Farmers Union who is facilitating the review.

-ENDS-

Notes-to-Editors:

• The British Poultry Council is the leading representative organization for companies and individuals engaged in breeding, hatching, rearing and processing chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese to produce poultry meat.

2. Ted Wright has been the Chairman of the British Poultry Council since June 2004, when he retired as Managing Director (Hungary) from Bernard Matthews Ltd.

3. Ted Wright’s speech can be found in full at www.poultry.uk.com

4. Pictures of Mr. Wright and Lord Rooker are available on request from BPC.

5. Further information on the recipients of the BPC Awards 2006 can also be found at www.poultry.uk.com

BPC 11th December 2006