End ban on pig swill to save 2.5m tons of food waste from landfill, Ministers urged

CAMPAIGNERS have urged the Government to lift the ban on feeding animal remains to livestock after the European Union relaxed its own rules, writes Jonathan Bucks.

Pig swill, which is surplus food including meat scraps that would otherwise go to waste, was banned in 2001 after a disease outbreak was widely blamed on infected swill.

But campaigners argue that a change in the law could allow up to 2.5million tons of food that is wasted in Britain’s manufacturing, retail and catering industries to be safely fed to pigs.

The EU announced plans in June to lift its own ban on farm feed made from animal remains, which has been in place since 2001 following Britain’s outbreak of BSE, or mad cow disease. Chef Thomasina

Miers, co-founder of the restaurant chain Wahaca, said: ‘It should not be beyond our grasp to work out how to recycle food waste and feed it to pigs and chickens again in a safe, secure manner, knowing how much food waste contributes to global warming.’

Carina Millstone, executive director at the food charity Feedback, added: ‘It’s common sense that when food can’t be eaten by people, it should be used to feed animals.’

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: ‘The UK is committed to maintaining the highest animal welfare and biosecurity standards.

‘Following our departure from the EU, there is no legal obligation for us to implement these changes.’