Members of the Public Council under the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia initiated the adoption of a law on animal by-products.
The law on the regulation of relations arising from the circulation of livestock by-products has already been adopted by the State Duma in the third, final reading at the plenary session on June 28, 2022. The document clarifies the procedure for using manure in livestock farms as a fertilizer, the mechanisms for taking ownership and reporting these substances, as well as other standards for the efficient and safe use of manure in the work of farms. The law will enter into force on March 1, 2023.
According to a member of the Public Council, Director General of Soyuzmoloko Artem Belov, the adoption of the law on animal by-products is one of the most important events in the regulation of the agro-industrial complex in recent years.
Prior to the adoption of the law, agricultural producers were equated with waste management operators, agricultural fields with landfills, and manure with waste. Agricultural enterprises for the use of manure in the fields were fined millions of rubles. At the same time, a claim for compensation for damage caused to the environment could also be issued against them. The amounts of such compensation could reach tens of millions of rubles. However, in fact, no harm was done to the environment, since manure is a valuable fertilizer. Thus, conscientious agricultural producers were often held accountable.
Members of the Public Council have been insisting for several years that animal waste products should be regulated separately, taking into account the beneficial use of such substances, as is customary in international practice, including in the European Union.
“At the same time, it is important to remember that the law does not cancel the requirements of the law on environmental protection,” Belov emphasized. “If an unscrupulous producer causes damage to the environment when handling manure, he will be liable in the same way as in case of damage as a result of any other activity.”