House of Commons Hansard Debates for 29 Jun 1989

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Mr. MacGregor : My officials, together with officials from the Department of Health, have recently met representatives of the British Medical Association to discuss food irradiation.

52. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he is having with consumer organisations about the introduction of food irradiation.

63. Sir Hal Miller : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to ensure that consumer interests are considered and protected in any decision on food irradiation.

Mr. MacGregor : There is always full consultation with consumer organisations over food safety policies. Both Ministers and officials have been involved in recent discussions with organisations over food irradiation, and there will be plenty of opportunity for further consultations given that both the primary legislation and the legislation thereafter will have to be discussed and approved by Parliament.

58. Mr. Conway : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the proposals of the working group established to devise a control framework for food irradiation in the United Kingdom.

Mr. MacGregor : I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the debate on food safety, research and health on 21 June 1989 at columns 347-59. A copy of the report of the working group of officials is in the Library of the House.

Food Legislation

20. Mr. Rogers : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he is having with interested organisations about changing the legislation on food.

Mr. MacGregor : Officials in my Department have undertaken extensive consultations with interested consumer, enforcement and trade organisations on possible changes to our food legislation. We shall introduce new legislation as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits.

27. Dr. Marek : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about his plans to introduce legislation on food.

Mr. MacGregor : Work on the detailed preparation of new food legislation, which we announced in October 1987, is well advanced. The Government will introduce proposals for new legislation as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits.

60. Mr. Waller : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the progress of his consultations on changes to food law.

Mr. MacGregor : Officials of my Department and that of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health, have undertaken consultations with a very large number of interested consumer, enforcement and trade organisations. Work on the preparation of new

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primary food legislation is well advanced and we shall introduce new legislation as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits.

Farm Woodland Scheme

21. Mr. Lord : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers have expressed an interest in participating in the farm woodland scheme ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. MacGregor : In the first eight months of the farm woodland scheme, nearly 900 farmers have applied to participate in the scheme. I regard this as a very encouraging start to this new scheme.

64. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will indicate the uptake of the farm woodland scheme.

Mr. MacGregor : In the first eight months of the farm woodland scheme nearly 900 farmers have applied to plant about 6,200 hectares of trees during the next three years throughout the United Kingdom.

Organic Farming

22. Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any proposals for bringing about an increase in organic farming methods.

30. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new initiatives he will take to increase the percentage of organically grown food.

Mr. MacGregor : The Government are encouraging in various ways the development of organic farming in response to consumer demand, for example through its strong support for the United Kingdom register of organic food standards.

Country Landowners Association

23. Mr. Favell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the president of the Country Landowners Association ; and what matters were discussed.

51. Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met representatives of the Country Landowners Association to discuss land value.

Mr. MacGregor : I last met the president of the Country Landowners Association on 9 June when a wide range of issues was discussed.

Whaling

24. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is in a position to outline his Ministry's reaction to the recommendations made at the 41st annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Donald Thompson : The major decisions of the International Whaling Commission concerned the adoption of resolutions co-sponsored by the United Kingdom calling upon Japan, Iceland and Norway to reconsider their plans to take whales for scientific reseach purposes,

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and rejection of Japan's request for a catch quota of 320 minke whales for its small coastal whaling boats. I strongly welcome these decisions as upholding the spirit of the present moratorium on commercial whaling. These and the preparatory work for the comprehensive assessment needed for the review of the moratorium next year are essential to protect and enhance the status of the world's depleted whale stocks.

Aujesky's Disease

25. Mr. Alexander : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will endeavour to ensure that the European Economic Community gives Aujesky's disease category 1 protection in order to protect the British pig industry against future outbreaks of the disease.

Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 2 May to my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Sir J. Farr) at column 81.

Environmentally Sensitive Areas

26. Mr. Janman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of eligible land has been entered into the environmentally sensitive areas scheme.

Mr. MacGregor : The proportion of eligible land which has been entered into the ESA scheme in England is 93 per cent.

46. Mrs. Gillian Shephard : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the total land area covered by environmentally sensitive areas.

Mr. MacGregor : The total land area covered by ESAs in England is 333,470 hectares split as follows :


                       |Total area of ESA (Ha)                       

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Broads                 |29,870                                       

Pennine Dales          |15,960                                       

Somerset Levels        |26,970                                       

South Downs            |53,340                                       

West Penwith           |7,210                                        

Breckland              |94,030                                       

North Peak             |50,250                                       

Shropshire Borders     |21,000                                       

Suffolk River Valleys  |32,150                                       

Test Valley            |2,690

Animal Health

28. Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had with the European Community Commission over the proposals for harmonised animal health rules in respect of both intra-Community trade and imports from third countries.

Mr. Donald Thompson : I met Commissioner MacSharry on 20 June. I said that, in the context of the single market, the Government supported the Commission's objective of achieving a uniformly high animal health status throughout the Community and that we also agreed on the need for common high standards for imports from third countries. I said that our view

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remained that until serious diseases such as foot and mouth disease were eradicated, effective controls on movements of animals and animal products from affected parts of the Community to parts which are free would be required to prevent disease spread, including an appropriate level of checking by member states of destination and quarantine where necessary.

Beef Cows

31. Mr. Gill : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest forecast of beef cow numbers in the United Kingdom for June 1990.

Mr. Donald Thompson : The future herd size depends upon a number of factors, not all of which can be foreseen, and it is not our practice to publish forecasts.

Agricultural Research Centres

32. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many agricultural research centres are funded by his Ministry.

Mr. MacGregor : Agricultural research is commissioned within my Department at 11 experimental husbandry farms, eight experimental horticultural stations, the farm building development centre, the field drainage experimental unit and the feed evaluation unit plus the ADAS central science laboratories and the central veterinary laboratories. My Department also commissions agricultural research externally with the eight institutes of the Agricultural and Food Research Council plus short-term contracts with a large number of universities, colleages, polytechnics and other establishments.

Fishing

33. Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to improve the fishing opportunities currently available to south-west England fishermen ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Donald Thompson : I am very much aware of the difficulties faced by fishermen in the south-west of England. At the Fisheries Council on 21 June we secured an important amendment to restrictions on beam length that will greatly assist our inshore beam fleet, and we secured a commitment from the Commission to review urgently the 1989 total allowable catch for Channel cod and other precautionary TACs. I have already taken steps to deal with the problem of quota hopping.

Straw Burning

34. Mr. Key : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on the control of the burning of straw and stubble.

Mr. Donald Thompson : My Department's policy is to reduce the level of straw and stubble burned in the field by encouraging farmers to adopt alternative disposal methods where practicable, while at the same time reminding those farmers who continue to employ burning to observe the NFU code and local byelaws. Our annual straw survey indicates that, between 1983 and 1988, the proportion of straw disposed of by burning fell from 37.7 per cent. to 23.8 per cent., and there has also been a substantial reduction in complaints and prosecutions.

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Farming (Employment)

35. Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the trend in regular full -time employment in the farming industry since 1978.

Mr. Donald Thompson : Between June 1978 and June 1988 the number of all those engaged in agriculture on a regular full-time basis in the United Kingdom declined by just under 21 per cent. or nearly 85,000. Within this total the number of full-time workers declined by nearly 31 per cent. (almost 61,000) of whom about 53,300 were hired workers and 7,400 family workers, while the number of full-time farmers, partners and directors fell by some 24,000 or just over 11 per cent.

NFU

36. Mr. Boswell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the president of the National Farmers Union to discuss means of improving farmers' returns.

50. Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the president of the National Farmers Union ; and what matters were discussed.

Mr. MacGregor : I last met the president of the National Farmers Union on 21 June when we discussed various agricultural matters.

Potato Marketing Board

37. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a further statement on the future of the Potato Marketing Board ;

40. Mr. Hague : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to announce a decision about the future of the Potato Marketing Board.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the outcome of the review of the Potato Marketing Board.

Mr. MacGregor : I refer my hon. Friends to the reply given to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 14 June at column 411.

56. Mr. Hind : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Potato Marketing Board ; what matters were discussed ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. MacGregor : I last met the chairman of the Potato Marketing Board on 8 March 1989, to discuss the board's response to the Government's consultation paper on future potato market policy.

Apple Sprays

38. Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next intends to review the safety of apple sprays.

Mr. MacGregor : A programme for the review of approved active ingredients was announced on 16 March. Pesticides used on apples will be covered in the review of each relevant active ingredient.

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Small Farmers Association

39. Mr. Amess : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Small Farmers Association, and what matters were discussed.

Mr. Donald Thompson : My right hon. Friend has not met the chairman recently. But he is kept regularly in touch with the Small Farmers Association's views.

EC Sheep Regime

41. Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has about discussions on the European Economic Community's sheep regime ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. MacGregor : At the Agriculture Council on 19 and 20 June, discussions on the reform of the sheepmeat regime revealed that major differences of view continue to persist among member states. The Council will return to this subject at a subsequent meeting.

62. Mr. Stevens : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the renegotiation of the sheepmeat regime to be concluded.

Mr. MacGregor : Discussions on this subject at the last Agriculture Council revealed that major differences of views continue to persist among member states. Negotiations may, therefore, be protracted.

Dairy Farming

42. Mr. Knox : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he is next due to meet the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board to discuss the dairy sector.

Mr. Donald Thompson : My right hon. Friend and I have regular contacts with the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board to discuss various issues affecting the dairy industry.

Research

44. Mr. Michael : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make it his policy to increase the resources devoted by his Department to scientific research into those aspects of (a) environmental concerns and (b) food production which come within the scope of his Department's responsibilities.

Mr. MacGregor : My Department has been increasing the resources devoted to environmental and food safety research, based on a number of considerations including the advice of the priorities board for research and development in agriculture and food.

Cold Storage (Audits)

45. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to ensure that the Reading, Berkshire Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce cold storage audited figures are properly audited by independent accounting officers.

Mr. Donald Thompson : All the intervention board's expenditure is subject to independent audit by the National Audit Office.

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Torry Research Station

47. Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last visited the Torry research station ; and what subjects were discussed.

Mr. Donald Thompson : I last visited Torry research station on 31 August 1988 and discussed the work of the station.

Forestry Commission

48. Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Forestry Commission ; and what matters were discussed.

Mr. MacGregor : I last met the chairman of the Forestry Commission on 14 June when a wide range of forestry matters was discussed.

Fisheries Council

49. Mr. Harris : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the latest Fisheries Council meeting.

Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Marland) on 22 June at columns 248-49.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

53. Mr. Hanley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met representatives of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ; and what matters were discussed.

Mr. MacGregor : My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and I had a meeting with the chairman and other representatives of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on 17 November last year. We discussed several topics of mutual interest.

Nature Conservancy Council

54. Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Council ; and what matters were discussed.

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Mr. Donald Thompson : My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary met the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Council on 7 November last year when they discussed a wide range of subjects.

National Institute for Agricultural Botany

55. Mr. Cousins : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to ensure that voluntary premature retirement schemes are offered to staff at the National Institute for Agricultural Botany.

Mr. MacGregor : We are considering this question.

Forestry

57. Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met representatives of the Association of Professional Foresters to discuss forestry in England and Wales.

Mr. MacGregor : I have not had the opportunity to meet representatives of the Association of Professional Foresters.

Council for the Protection of Rural England

59. Mr. Latham : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Council for the Protection of Rural England ; and what matters were discussed.

Mr. Donald Thompson : My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary met representatives, including the chairman, of the Council for the Protection of Rural England on 22 March, when they discussed a number of issues of mutual concern.

Poultry

61. Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the poultry section of the agricultural industry.

Mr. Donald Thompson : The market for poultry meat weakened in the early part of this year, but chick placings for table poultry have fallen in recent months ; and due to this and to other factors, the market has now firmed again, with wholesale prices now at or above the levels of a year ago.

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Tenant Farmers

65. Mr Ken Hargreaves : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the Tenant Farmers Association ; and what matters were discussed.

Mr. Donald Thompson : I last met the chairman of the Tenant Farmers Association on 31 May when we discussed various matters relating to the tenanted sector.

Staging Posts

66. Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his Department's view of the increasing use of staging posts to enable livestocks to be transported long distances prior to slaughter.

Mr. Donald Thompson : EC legislation requires that animals in international transport should be offered food and water at suitable intervals and should not be left for more than 24 hours without being fed and watered.

Under our legislation exporters are required to provide details of arrangements made for feeding and watering animals on long international journeys. The staging points used for this purpose are authorised by the United Kingdom and the country in question.

Set-aside Scheme

67. Mr. Doran : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the use of set-aside land for forestry.

Mr. Donald Thompson : In the first year of the scheme, about 800 hectares of land have been set aside to woodland, either directly or through the farm woodland scheme. I recently invited applications for the second year of set-aside, and since farmers have now had more time to plan for tree planting, I expect enhanced interest in this option. I welcome increased planting of trees on arable land as a contribution to the reduction of surpluses, to the enhancement of the landscape and to helping to meet our timber requirements in the longer term.

Women's Farmers Union

68. Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the president of the Women's Farmers Union ; and what matters were discussed.

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