WRITTEN QUESTION No. 334/99 by Gianni TAMINO Incineration plant for poultry droppings
C 348/50 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 12. 1999 respect the above mentioned threshold of 34 %. Therefore, the Commission does not consider that the fact that Alitalia no longer operates a particular service at Malpensa to be incompatible with the objective of a balanced distribution of traffic between Malpensa and Linate airports. (1) OJ L 240, 24. 8. 1992. (1999/C 348/061) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0334/99 by Gianni Tamino (V) to the Commission (23 February 1999) Subject: Incineration plant for poultry droppings The province of Forlì is the main poultry breeding centre in Italy, with so many poultry farms that the ratio of farmland, the number of heads of poultry and the resident population is completely altered, which has far- reaching effects on the environment and public health. The four main poultry farmers in the province have agreed to dispose of their poultry droppings by building an incinerator with a capacity of 220 000 tonnes per annum. At present the poultry droppings are disposed of by spreading them in limited quantities directly on the land, which constitutes a system of organic manuring. The only problem is the stench which could be eliminated by prior composting in small installations with little impact on the environment which could be built near the poultry farms. Incineration of the poultry droppings would deprive agriculture of an important source of fertiliser which would have to be replaced by the massive use of artificial chemical fertilisers, thereby increasing the environmental impact on an area already heavily overworked owing to intensive agriculture and at risk of desertification due to constant decline in organic substances in the soil. The plan was rejected by the Commune of Cisena but has been resubmitted to the Commune of Sogliano, the Region of Emilia-Romagna and the Ministries of Industry, Public Health and the Environment. Does the Commission believe that such a plan can be deemed compatible with the Community objectives of protecting the soil from the risk of desertification and with Directive 85/337/EEC (1) on the assessment of effects on the environment? (1) OJ L 175, 5. 7. 1985, p. 40. Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (26 April 1999) It appears, based on the information given by the Honourable Member, that the work to which he refers (an incinerator with a capacity of 200 000 tonnes per annum) is within the scope of Council Directive 85/337/ EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (1) and, in particular, is a project of the classes listed in Annex II. Such projects should be made subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) where Member States consider that their characteristics so require. However, as concerns these projects, Member States are obliged to make a pre-assessment in order to establish whether they need to be made subject to an EIA procedure. The incineration project mentioned should be considered compatible with Directive 85/337/EEC where it complies with its provisions. Should an EIA procedure be carried out, or should a pre-assessment be made in order to establish whether the project needs to be made subject to an EIA procedure, no breach of Community law will arise. The other elements raised by the Honourable Member do not appear pertinent to the issue. (1) OJ L 175, 5. 7. 1985