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Shellfish
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now consider introducing a scheme of compensation for losses incurred in the course of the recent shellfish health warnings ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 12 June, column 131.
Chickengate"
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has yet completed his consideration of the conclusions reached in the book entitled "Chickengate", co-authored by the hon. Member for Billericay (Mrs. Gorman) and Mr. Richard North.
Mr. Maclean : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 18 June, Official Report, column 471.
Bovine Somatotropin
Mr. Stern : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to announce the results of the experiments with bovine somatotropin.
Mr. Maclean : The companies conducting field trials using BST will decide on the announcement of the result of their work.
Bees
Mr. Allen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the impact upon the spread of bee diseases of the decision to reduce the numbers and scope of bee inspectors.
Mr. Curry : There is no evidence to suggest that the change in policy for inspections by bees officers had led to any change in the incidence of bee diseases in the United Kingdom.
Live Animals (Transport)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to bring forward legislation or orders to improve the transportation of live animals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : We intend to amend our legislation regarding the transport of unfit animals. We shall seek to negotiate high welfare standards in the context of proposed EC measures on the protection of animals in transit.
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in the discussions on the directive relating to the controls operated by Her Majesty's Government on the export of live horses and ponies ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Only one Community meeting has been held to discuss the Commission's proposals on protection of animals during transport. We will be pressing to retain our controls on the export of horses and ponies.
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Food Distribution
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in fresh food distribution facilities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The Government give top priority to food safety and consumer protection as indicated by the Food Safety Bill. However, investment in particular sectors of the food industry is a matter for commercial judgment. The food industry can take advantage of DTI-funded aid schemes and other general Government measures towards this end, and may be eligible for EC-funded grant schemes designed to promote rational marketing and simple processing of primary produce.
Fur Farms
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what foodstuffs are approved for consumption by mink and foxes.
Mr. Maclean : The safety and final quality of feed sold for feeding to fur livestock animals, including mink, are governed by the Agriculture Act 1970 and the Feeding Stuffs Regulations 1988, as amended. Foxes are not included in the definition of livestock animals.
Farm Animal Welfare Council
Mr. McFall : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reports he is awaiting from the Farm Animal Welfare Council.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) on 19 April 1990, Official Report, Vol. 170, column 1543 .
Consumer Panel
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his consumer panel last met ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Maclean : The last meeting of the consumer panel took place on 2 May 1990. It discussed a wide range of issues including water quality, food labelling, BSE, hygiene training for food handlers and food irradiation. The minutes of this meeting are publicly available.
Food Safety
Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Consumers Association to discuss food safety.
Mr. Maclean : On 3 April 1990 representatives of the Consumers Association attended the first of the periodic meetings set up by my right hon. Friend with representatives of consumer organisations ; a further meeting is planned for 12 July.
Farmers' Incomes
Mr. McFall : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the National Farmers Union to discuss farmers' incomes.
Mr. Curry : I frequently meet representatives of the National Farmers Union to discuss farm incomes and other issues.
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Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has received from the Tyrrell committee on the question of the removal of bovine brains.
Mr. Gummer : As I indicated during the debate on bovine spongiform encephalopathy on 21 May, I asked the advisory committee on spongiform encephalopathies to consider slaughterhouse practices. I received verbal advice from the committee on 13 June that the recovery of head meat from bovine skulls should not be undertaken after the removal of the brain. I have accepted this advice and have issued appropriate guidance to local authorities. I shall, of course, take account of any further advice that the committee offers in formulating future action on slaughterhouse procedures.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedures he has introduced to protect farmworkers who handle cattle placenta from the possibility of cross-infection with the agent responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Patrick Nicholls : I have been asked to reply.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) has recently produced an advisory note on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) for farmers. This includes advice on calving animals suspected to be suffering from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, including the handling of placentae.
This advice has been discussed with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and reinforces the executive's advice on the procedures needed to minimise the risks of transmission of all infections from animals to man. The Health and Safety Executive is closely watching research developments in this field and will produce further advice as and when necessary.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what precautions are in force to protect workers in abattoirs who handle animal tissue deemed unfit for human consumption and bovine offals banned for human consumption from the possibility of cross-infection ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : I have been asked to reply.
The Health and Safety Executive's field staff is available to give advice on work activities to employers and employees when necessary on any health risks associated with cattle, their carcases and their products which may be infected with BSE. The HSE has produced a free leaflet entitled "BSE and carcase disposal" which sets out hygiene precautions that will protect workers from diseases of cattle known to affect man. It has also agreed guidance that has been published by the British Meat Manufacturers Association which is being distributed to all slaughterhouses, and meat preparation and butchery sectors.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the possibility of the subcutaneous transference of the infective agent responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The risk to human health from such transmission is remote, but the Health and Safety
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Executive has issued advice to guard against occupational exposure by cuts and abrasions. Experimental studies are in progress to determine the transmissibility of BSE to various host species by parenteral and oral routes of exposure.Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculure, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing the distribution of the total number of confirmed cases of BSE, by county, in the United Kingdom in the four weeks to 17 June.
Mr. Maclean : The information for Great Britain is as follows :
County |Number
----------------------------------------------------------
Avon |20
Bedfordshire |4
Berkshire |7
Buckinghamshire |10
Cambridge |4
Cheshire |30
Cleveland |1
Clwyd |8
Cornwall |46
Cumbria |11
Derbyshire |23
Devon |97
Dorset |103
Dumfries |7
Durham |7
Dyfed |47
Essex |3
Fife |5
Glamorgan Mid |4
Glamorgan South |2
Gloucestershire |26
Grampian |15
Gwent |5
Hampshire |39
Hereford and Worcestershire |18
Hertfordshire |5
Highland |2
Humberside |4
Isle of Wight |9
Kent |23
Lancashire |18
Lincolnshire |4
London |1
Lothian |1
Manchester |1
Norfolk |20
Northants |8
Northumberland |7
Nottinghamshire |5
Orkney |1
Oxon |13
Powys |5
Salop |24
Somerset |106
Staffordshire |26
Strathclyde |9
Suffolk |14
Surrey |4
Sussex East |15
Sussex West |22
Tayside |1
Warwickshire |13
Wiltshire |64
Yorkshire North |33
Yorkshire South |5
Yorkshire West |8
Total |1,041
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Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what circumstances cattle may be awarded a veterinary certificate stating they are free from BSE ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : There is no test for BSE in the live animal, so no such certificate can be given.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to ascertain whether BSE or a related condition is present in Holsteins of north American origin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : BSE has been confirmed in most breeds, including Holsteins. I am not aware that any of these originated in north America. The epidemiological survey carried out into BSE discounts imported cattle as being the cause.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the infective agent responsible for BSE has been detected in cattle placenta ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : No, but transmission experiments are in progress using placenta from BSE-affected cattle.
Cattle and Sheep Exports
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy in respect of the export from Britain of scrapie-infected sheep.
Mr. Maclean : It is up to importing countries to determine what conditions they wish to impose upon sheep exported from Great Britain.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those countries which have banned imports from Britain of (a) live cattle and (b) live sheep, giving the date of the introduction of such ban in each case.
Mr. Maclean : The information requested is set out in the table :
Country |Date
-----------------------------------------------------
(a) Live cattle
Australia |December 1988
Austria |May 1990
Canada |February 1990
Finland |January 1989
Israel<1>
New Zealand |December 1988
Saudi Arabia |February 1990
Sweden |October 1988
Tunisia |February 1990
Turkey |June 1990
United States of America |July 1989
USSR |March 1990
(b) Live sheep
Austria |May 1990
Canada |May 1990
Sweden |October 1988
Turkey |June 1990
USSR |March 1990
<1> Not applicable-no health certification agreed.
Southwood Committee
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to avoid a potential conflict of interest resulting from the presence of the Southwood committee of members operating in practice in the embryology research area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : I am fully confident that the Southwood working party's recommendations were made after an objective assessment of all the scientific data available.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those members of the Southwood committee who are expert in the scrapie family of diseases giving in each case their relevant qualifications.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on 5 June, Official Report, column 497.
Tyrrell Committee
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the members of the Tyrrell committee who have received any financial remuneration, other than as expenses as members of the committee, from his Department ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : One member of the Tyrrell committee, Dr. Richard Kimberlin, who is an independent consultant with over 30 years' experience in the field of spongiform encephalopathies, provides expert advice to my Department.
Nitrate Sensitive Areas
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he has made an assessment of the percentage of farmers in the 10 designated nitrate sensitive areas who will have to reduce their fertiliser use in order to qualify for payment under the nitrate sensitive area scheme ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(2) what reductions in the use of nitrate fertilisers he anticipates as a result of the introduction of 10 nitrate sensitive areas ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Maclean : One of 18 obligations within the basic payment scheme is a requirement to apply no more than the economic optimum amount of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser for any crop, not more than 25 kgN/ha below that optimum for winter wheat or barley, and not more than 50 kgN/ha below for oilseed rape. I would expect the latter reductions to result in lower applications for most participants with arable land. More definitive information will be provided through the evaluation of the pilot scheme.
Notifiable Diseases
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what circumstances animal diseases for which there exist no practicable diagnostic tests are made notifiable ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : There are a number of factors to be considered in determining whether a disease should be made notifiable, including any implications it may have for public and or animal health and whether it is amenable to diagnosis, either in the field or in the laboratory.
Set-aside Land
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to extend the countryside premium for set-aside land to new areas of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 18 June, Official Report, volume 174, column 467.
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