The UK's British Aggregates Association (BAA), is taking to the skies in a war on illegal quarrying. The association is taking aerial photographs of illicit quarries in response to illegal quarrying undercutting its members prices. The BAA has heard of 38 illegal quarries in Northern Ireland and 10 in scotland. Many of the illegal quarries are apparently farmers, who are side-stepping the recently introduced aggregates tax and local authority planning regulations to undercut legitimate quarries. Such operations can undercut legitimate businesses by around £2/t, whereas legitimate aggregates businesses are selling materials at around £5/t, plus haulage. The BAA plans to take the evidence to the EC as part of a wider £500M European Court appeal over what it claims are unfair rules on the Aggregates Tax. (whole item)
