BUTCHERS have been warned they can't give bones to customers for their dogs. Euro rules are being blamed by Ceredigion council for the clampdown after they wrote to butchers saying they are breaking the law if they offer dog owners any bones or fat. The butchers say it could cost thousands of pounds to have the trimmings and waste incinerated instead. There is confusion over the red tape. Assembly chiefs say the council has got it wrong, and the rules only apply to bulk waste and kennels. But countryside agency Defra says bones can only be handed over as part of a joint of meat. Aled Morgan, 35, a fifth generation butcher from Aberystwyth, said: "It's a little bit silly. "When I received the letter from the council I could not believe it. "It says that we can't give customers any bones or fat because they are waste products. "I would estimate that one out of every 15 of our customers ask us for bones for their dogs and they come to collect them on a regular basis. "It's something that we can offer but the supermarkets don't. "It will be an added cost for butchers of £2,000 a year to get rid of the waste and take it to an incinerator." A Defra spokesman said: "All the waste from a butcher's shop is being seen as a by-product and must not be used for human consumption. "But there is an exemption because customers can take bones away with them when they ask a butcher to de-bone some meat because it's still considered human food. "But the moment a bone or trimming is regarded as waste or pet food then it's a by-product and cannot be passed to the public." Ceredigion assistant director for environmental services Huw Williams said: "This new legislation will inevitably have implications for certain categories of food businesses. "We want to provide the proprietors of establish-ments, such as butchers, with information that will enable them to make decisions about how they can comply. "We are aware that other local authorities are providing similar information and it is important that a consistent message is given to the industry." A National Assembly spokeswoman said: "Butchers can supply bones over the counter as pet food to individuals. "This does not mean that bulk waste can be supplied in this way, only material that is technically fit for human consumption. "Kennel owners who want to get waste from butchers shops or abattoirs, e.g. tripe, have to apply for authorisation. "Their premises will then be inspected and the Assembly, not Defra, issue an approval as 'final user'. "This is only available to recognised kennels, not individuals." | 
