• An essential industry
• Quarrying and the economy
• The aggregates tax
• Transport infrastructure
• Environmental management
• Quarries and local communities
• Health and Safety
• Transportation of quarry products
• Archaeology
• Recycling
• Coastal quarries
• Marine dredging

An essential industry

We all depend upon quarry products. Without them we would have no homes, schools, offices, shops or hospitals. Quarry products provide the basis for our transport network (roads, railways and airports) and for our water and sewage systems.

Similarly, many products we take for granted - paper, plastics, glass, steel, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, even some of the food we eat - are manufactured using materials derived from quarrying.

• each one of us in the UK generates a demand for nearly four tonnes of aggregates a year (the European average is six tonnes a year)
• every new home requires an average of 60 tonnes of quarry products
• the use of lime improves agricultural land and brings a range of environmental benefits (eg in water treatment)

Quarrying and the economy

The UK needs a strong economy and quarry products play a vital role. It supplies the raw materials to the construction industry, which contributes nearly 10 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

• over 90 per cent of the UK's quarry products are used by the construction industry
• nearly 40,000 people depend upon the quarrying industry for their livelihoods, many in rural areas where there are limited employment opportunities.

The aggregates tax

Government announced in the March 2000 Budget that an aggregates tax of £1.60 per tonne would be introduced in April 2002. The necessary legislation has been included in the 2001 Finance Bill. The tax applies to crushed rock and sand and gravel extracted or dredged in the UK for aggregates use. Aggregates exports are not taxed, but imports of aggregates are taxed at the first point of sale in the UK. Imports of products manufactured with aggregates, such as concrete blocks, are also not taxed.

Although Government had been considering the tax since July 1997, they have always struggled to justify the Levy’s description of being an environmental tax. Indeed, the MPA had argued, and still does, that the tax would be environmentally inefficient - a claim confirmed by independent research. The Government later introduced the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, which releases some of the levy collected back to community and environmental initiatives in areas of the country where quarrying has an impact. This fund, while generally welcomed by the industry, implicitly confirms that the tax in itself is not living up to its green credentials and requires a bolt-on initiative to do so. However, in recent years, the MPA has been vocal in its disappointment that even the Levy Fund has been subject to significant cuts by the Government.

As an alternative to tax, the MPA had originally proposed a negotiated agreement whereby industry would commit to a 30 point "New Deal" package of environmental initiatives, specifically geared towards further real and sustained environmental improvements. Industry commitment to the "New Deal" would have been part of a partnership in which Government would support good environmental performance in the quarrying industry through preferential public purchasing policies.

It was not to be, and in opting for the aggregates tax, Government specifically ruled out an environmental partnership with industry in which Government would agree preferential public purchasing or support for environmentally responsible operators.

The MPA continues to oppose the proposed tax as economically damaging and environmentally inefficient.

Transport infrastructure

An efficient transport system is vital for the UK economy, enabling industry to remain competitive and keeping prices in the shops down. Quarry products form the basis of the UK's transport infrastructure - road and rail links as well as airports and ports.

The efficiency of our transport networks is becoming a matter of growing public concern. Effective and well-maintained networks are necessary for the economy to function well and to minimise environmental problems associated with congestion and emissions. Government wishes to encourage higher investment in improving the capacity of rail and public transport system, better maintenance of our road network, and road improvements where appropriate.

• between 20 and 25 per cent of aggregates produced are used for road maintenance and construction
• modern asphalt surfaces can significantly reduce road noise and increase road life
• the Channel Tunnel rail link alone needed over six million tonnes of aggregates
• the quarrying industry itself is the second biggest user of rail freight

Environmental management

The quarrying industry is conscious of the need to carry out its work sensitively and responsibly. It is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its operations and to making a positive contribution to the environment through the restoration of sites and, in particular, through the creation of new wildlife habitats which can increase biodiversity and geodiversity.

Quarrying is strictly controlled and has to meet high standards of environmental performance set by government and local planning authorities. The industry is continuing to push standards still higher.

Companies implement environmental management systems to ensure that operations are carried out as sensitively as possible. The creation and management of new wildlife habitats is often carried out in partnership with local conservation groups. Biodiversity and Geodiversity action plans are becoming increasingly common throughout the MPA membership to ensure the highest levels of environmental management.

• it’s estimated that some 700 SSSIs were originally quarries or part of land owned by mineral operators
• restored gravel pits provide valuable wetland habitats replacing those lost through other activities
• restoration of sites can also provide new recreational facilities
• the quarrying industry plants around 200,000 trees a year, and, in 2004, around 20km of new hedgerow was created
• in 2004, nearly twice as much land was restored than that being prepared for extraction

For further information on environmental management in the quarrying industry, visit our sustainability section or find out how we work with Natural England through the Minerals and Nature Conservation Forum.

Quarries and local communities

Quarry managers seek to establish close relationships with local residents and will consult them about day-to-day operations.

The industry appreciates that lorries can be of great concern to local communities and, where possible, steps are taken to minimise the disturbance. This includes using set routes and limiting the hours of use.

• quarries and associated industries can generate significant income and employment for local communities.
• environmental standards are continually improving, so further reducing impacts
• most quarry products are used locally, improving the quality of local housing, transport, hospitals, schools and other buildings and structures.
• MPA supports the industry in working with local communities in terms of both education and safety. The industry takes the welfare of its local communities very seriously and fences and boundary walls are constantly checked to ensure the public remains clear of potentially dangerous areas.
• Education resources have been created, such as the Virtual Quarry that help us engage the public with our industry and interest young people in the wealth of learning opportunities that quarrying can offer.

For further information on how the industry works with local communities, click here.

Health and Safety

The health and a safety of employees and contractors is the top priority for the industry. We are committed to driving down accident rates and continually review working practices to improve site safety. There is huge range of specific programmes and resources created by the MPA to help with the task, link to the section here. The Mineral Products Association's Health and Safety Competition encourages good practice and is strongly supported by member companies. Find out more about the awards at www.mineralproducts.org or www.safequarry.com. The industry is also committed to ensuring that local residents, especially children, are aware of the dangers of entering a quarry unsupervised. An annual "Play Safe...Stay Safe" campaign delivers this important message. Find out more here. The MPA also released a cutting-edge health and safety online resource for the industry in 2006. Visit www.safequarry.com to find out more.

Transportation of quarry products

Quarry products are generally used within a 30-mile radius of a quarry and so tend to be transported by road. Rail transport is used for long distance haulage.

• about 80 per cent of quarry products are used within 30 miles of the quarry
• the quarrying industry is the second biggest user of rail freight (after coal)
• nearly 40 million tonnes of quarry products are transported outside of the road network each year
• the quarrying industry has invested heavily in rail facilities and rolling stock and is strongly committed to rail freight.

Archaeology

Many very interesting archaeological remains have been discovered as a result of quarrying and the industry is a major funder of archaeological digs.

It is industry practice to give access to archaeologists where interesting remains are revealed.

• rare finds include Stanwick Roman Villa (Northants), Boxgrove Man (West Sussex), Saxon Helmet (Northants).
• the cost of the industry´s commitment to archaeology has been around £10 million in recent years.

For further information on how the industry assists archaeology, click here

Recycling

The industry fully supports recycling. The use of recycled and secondary materials is already well established and currently accounts for around a quarter of the aggregates market, with the UK being the leader in Europe in recycled materials production.

There is, however, a continuing need to ensure that recycling operations can be carried out in an environmentally sensitive manner and that it is economically viable.

For further information on recycled aggregates, click here

Coastal quarries

Coastal quarrying is a concept whereby large volumes of aggregates can be transported over long distances by sea to meet demand where traditional sources of aggregates are either exhausted or constrained. Government planning policy assumes the need for greater supplies of aggregates from sources other than traditional land-based quarries in the future. One major coastal quarry - Glensanda - has been operating in Scotland for ten years. Such quarries can make an important contribution to aggregates supply and provide much needed local employment.

These developments are subject to the same rigorous planning and environmental considerations that apply to any quarry proposal. Scottish Executive planning policy sets an upper limit of a total of four major coastal quarries in the future.

Marine dredging

Sand and gravel extraction from the sea is often the best way to supply aggregates to the UK's coastal towns and those on navigable rivers. It makes an important contribution to the national supply.

We are very aware of the need to carry out dredging in an environmentally sensitive way and operations are carefully controlled by the companies themselves and by Government departments. To ensure the highest standards are maintained, licences are only granted once research has shown there is no risk of beach erosion or to fisheries.

Marine aggregates supply approximately 21 per cent of the sand and gravel requirements of England and Wales.

• extracting sand and gravel at sea means fewer land based quarries are needed to meet the demand (an additional 400 hectares pa).
• around 35 vessels are licensed.
• Government policy (MPG6) is to develop marine aggregate supplies.

For further information on marine aggregates, click here. The MPA’s constituent marine association, the British Marine Aggregates Producers Association also has its own website at www.bmapa.org.