---

Column 99

Cattle plague

Classical swine fever

Dourine

Enzootic bovine leukosis

Enzootic lymphangitis

Equine infectious anaemia

Equine viral encephalomyelitis

Foot and mouth disease

Fowl pest (includes fowl plague and Newcastle disease)

Glanders and farcy (in equines)

Pleuropneumonia (in cattle)

Rabies

Sheep pox

Sheep scab

Swine vesicular disease

Teschen disease

Tuberculosis (in cattle)

Warble fly

(d) 1990

African horse sickness

African swine fever

Anthrax

Aujeszky's disease

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Brucella melitensis (cattle)

Cattle plague

Classical swine fever

Dourine

Enzootic bovine leukosis

Enzootic lymphangitis

Equine viral encephalomyelitis

Equine infectious anaemia

Foot and mouth disease

Fowl pest (includes fowl plague, Newcastle disease, avian influenza and paromyxovirus)

Glanders and farcy (in equines)

Pleuropneumonia (in cattle)

Rabies

Sheep pox

Sheep scab

Swine vesicular disease

Teschen disease

Tuberculosis (in cattle and deer)

Warble fly

(e) 1995

African horse sickness

African swine fever

Anthrax

Aujeszky's disease

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Blue tongue

Brucella melitensis (cattle, sheep and goats)

Cattle plague

Classical swine fever

Contagious agalactia

Contagious epidydimitis

Contagious equine metritis

Dourine

Enzootic bovine leukosis

Enzootic lymphangitis

Equine viral encephalomyelitis

Equine infectious anaemia

Foot and mouth disease

Fowl pest (includes Newcastle disease and avian influenza) Glanders or farcy (in equines)

Goat pox

Lumpy skin disease

Paromyxovirus in pigeons

Peste des petits ruminants

---

Column 100

Pleuropneumonia

Rabies

Rift valley fever

Scrapie

Sheep pox

Swine vesicular disease

Teschen disease

Tuberculosis (in cattle and deer)

Vesicular stomatitis

Viral haemorrhagic disease (rabbits)

Warble fly

Rabies

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many reported cases there were of fox vectored rabies in Belgium in (a) 1993 and (b) 1994 or to the latest available date for which figures are available.      [18410]

Mrs. Browning: The Ministry does not hold comprehensive data on the vector species for rabies cases outside the United Kingdom.

Cattle (Tuberculosis)

Mr. Michael Spicer: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has about the extent of tuberculosis in cattle; and if he will make a statement.      [18825]

Mrs. Browning: There were 362 new confirmed TB cattle herd breakdowns in Great Britain during 1994. They are largely confined to the south west of England--274 new confirmed outbreaks--and Wales--62 new confirmed outbreaks. Following investigations, 88 per cent. of new and continuing confirmed outbreaks in the south west of England and 3 per cent. in Wales are considered to have resulted from infection by badgers.

Sheep Quota

Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what part was played in the refusal by the Exeter office to register the special quota leased and purchased by Spence and Sons Ltd, of New Barn farm for 1993, 1994 and 1995 by the delay in informing Spence and Sons Ltd of the outcome of their application, ref.16006001; and what plans he has to assist Spence and Sons Ltd. on this matter;      [19154]

(2) if he will set out the reasons for the delay in informing Spence and Sons Ltd. of New Barn farm, reference number 16006001 about their application for special quota.      [19155]

Mr. Jack: My hon. Friend has written to me about this complex case which involves an application to the sheep quota national reserve and the transfer and lease of sheep quota and I will write to the hon. Gentlemen shortly explaining the matter in full.

Agriculture Council

Mr. Luff: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg on 10 April; and if he will make a statement.      [19236]

Mr. Waldegrave: This Council, at which I represented the United kingdom, again discussed the situation created by the strengthening of the German, Dutch, Belgian, Austrian and Danish currencies, which should result in

---

Column 101

the revaluation of the corresponding green rates of exchange used in the common agricultural policy. All other member states could agree to a proposal that these revaluations, which the Commission had already delayed under its own powers, should be further delayed until after the Council's next meeting on 29 May.

I objected on the grounds that neither the trade distortions generated by these delays nor the budgetary costs of alternative courses of action had been properly considered; and that no clear indication had been given of how these problems would be tackled at the end of any further period of delay. The proposal was not adopted and it was agreed that these matters would be discussed urgently. The Council adopted, with Portugal voting against, an extension of the existing sugar arrangements with some changes. The main changes are to enable beet sugar production quotas to be cut if necessary to enable the Community to observe its obligation under the GATT to restrict subsidised net exports; and to improve the guarantee of supplies of imported raw cane sugar to refiners.

I made it clear, as did the Swedish Minister, that I would have preferred a genuine reform of the sugar system but there was no support for this from others. The formula for allocating quota reductions, which all other member states were ready to accept as a compromise, means that the share of any cut that would fall on the United Kingdom is a lot less than our share of Community sugar production. It will be important to work for the export limit to be met by means other than quota cuts. The guarantee of raw sugar supplies is welcome and the details of the guarantee are considerably better than those in the Commission's original proposal.

Veal Crates

Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what representations he has received from Gerald Barling QC on the lawfulness of export restrictions on calves to be reared in veal crates, and if he will make a statement.      [18622]

(2) if he will make a further statement on the export of calves to be reared in veal crates.      [18623]

(3) if he will make a further statement on the use of article 36 of the treaty of Rome to stop the export of calves to be reared in veal crates.      [18624]

Mrs. Browning: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Streeter) on 4 April 1995, Official Report column 1057 58 .

Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 15 March, Official Report , column 630 , whether he expects veal crates to be banned throughout Europe before or after 2000.      [17771]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 5 March 1995]: The timetable for phasing out veal crates in the European Union under any Council measure requiring this will depend on the terms of the measure when it is adopted.

Cattle Plague

Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of cattle plague were reported in each year since 1985.      [18613]

---

Column 102

Mrs. Browning: There have been no confirmed cases of cattle plague in England since 1877.

Ostriches

Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many ostriches were slaughtered in Britain in each year since 1991 for meat or plumage; how many of these were reared from eggs in Britain and how many were imported; and if he will make a statement on the welfare of farmed ostriches.      [18614]

---