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Calves
16. Mr. Heppell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many representations he has recently received concerning the welfare of calves. [16112]
Mrs. Browning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that my right hon. Friend gave earlier to the hon. Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. Clapham).
Milk Marque
17. Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has recently received about the operation of Milk Marque.[16113]
Mr. Baldry: My right hon. Friend and I continue to receive representations about Milk Marque's operating practices. Any complaints about these practices are a matter for the competition authorities.
Horticultural Imports
18. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next expects to meet representatives of the horticultural industry to discuss the price of imports from eastern Europe. [16115]
Mr. Boswell: I frequently meet representatives of the horticulture industry. We discuss a variety of issues of concern to them including, where appropriate, imports from central and eastern Europe.
Integrated Administration and Control System
19. Mr. Riddick: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made as to parity of enforcement of IACS payment by EU countries. [16116]
Mr. Baldry: All EU member states are required to implement IACS in accordance with the detailed rules laid down in Commission regulation 3887/92. Commission officials regularly visit all member states to check the way in which they operate the system. Full details of penalties applied are not available but information received suggests that the proportion of penalties applied in the UK is generally similar to those found in other member states.
Fisheries Council
20. Mr. Jack Thompson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the decisions made at the meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers in December 1995. [16117]
29 Feb 1996 : Column: 686
21. Mr. William O'Brien:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the decisions made at the meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers in December 1995. [16118]
22. Mr. Etherington:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the decisions made at the meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers in December 1995. [16119]
Mr. Baldry:
I received a wide range of representations from Members of Parliament and members of the public both before and after the meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers on 21 and 22 December 1995.
24. Mrs. Gorman:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on Government policies in respect of the labelling of soya milk. [16121]
Mrs. Browning:
Since the adoption in 1987 of Community legislation prohibiting the use of dairy terms on non-dairy products, the Government have pressed the European Commission, and other member states, to allow the continued use of the term "soya milk" in the UK.
However, we have now exhausted all possibilities for securing a change in the rules and have been obliged to take the action necessary to comply with the Community legislation.
I am in contact with the industry and enforcement authorities about changing the name of the product.
25. Mrs Golding:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to find an alternative to peat for use in raising container plants. [16122]
Mr. Boswell:
The Ministry funds strategic research and development looking at the development of alternatives to peat as a growing medium. I will be pleased to write to the hon. Member with further details.
26. Mr. Robathan:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action his Department is taking to improve environmental management and wildlife conservation on agricultural land. [16123]
Mr. Boswell:
Over the past two years the Ministry has greatly expanded the range of incentives available to promote environmental management and wildlife conservation on farmland. We have launched six new environmentally sensitive areas, making 22 in total covering 10 per cent. of agricultural land in England, and 22 new nitrate sensitive areas, making 32 in all.
We have also introduced several entirely new schemes addressing major environmental priorities such as creating valuable wildlife habitats on farmland, promoting organic farming and improving the condition of heather moorland. In addition, we have announced plans for the future expansion and development of the countryside
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stewardship scheme when it transfers from the Countryside Commission to MAFF in April at the end of its pilot period. Taken together, these measures represent a substantial commitment to conserving the countryside.
28. Mr. Steen:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress he has made towards renegotiating the common fisheries policy. [16126]
Mr. Baldry:
The Government are pursuing a series of initiatives to achieve improvements in the way that the common fisheries policy operates.
Mr. Gale:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many licences were issued for the export of dogs from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [17041]
Mrs. Browning:
Exports of dogs are not subject to licensing. Precise figures for dog exports from the United Kingdom are not available since information is not held centrally, but it is estimated that 6,200 official export health certificates relating to approximately 9,600 dogs were issued during 1995. Figures for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress the Government have made on implementing the European directive on animal welfare. [16751]
Mrs. Browning:
We are consulting extensively on implementation in this country of the new EU rules on the protection of animals during transport. The first stage of consultation is complete, and we shall be consulting further on our proposals for legislation, taking account of the comments we have received. The EU rules have to be implemented in the member states by 31 December 1996.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to persuade the European Commission to phase out veal crates earlier than the time scale provisionally set. [16833]
Mrs. Browning:
The Commission presented its proposals for phasing out the close confinement veal crate to the Council of Agriculture Ministers earlier this week. We made it clear in the preliminary discussions that the 12-year lead-in period is too long and we will continue to press hard for an early end to the close confinement veal crate and its associated dietary regime throughout Europe.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which other EU member states have implemented directive 92/117 for the harmonisation of rules governing the prevention of specified zoonoses diseases. [17182]
Mrs. Browning:
Article 8 of directive 92/117 requires member states to submit to the Commission details of the measures they are taking to implement the requirements
29 Feb 1996 : Column: 688
of the directive. We believe nine member states have so far submitted plans, but only Denmark's plan has been accepted as being fully compatible with the objectives of the directive while the others, including the United Kingdom's, have been rejected.
The Commission's main objection to the United Kingdom's measures is our policy of offering alternatives to slaughter in respect of parent broiler breeder flocks found on investigation to be infected with salmonella enteritidis or salmonella typhimurium.
Mr. Hardy:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to simplify the procedure involved in the consideration of grants sought under the farm woodland premium scheme. [17413]
Mr. Boswell:
The farm woodland premium scheme is currently being reviewed to enable decisions to be taken about its future operation after 31 March 1997. The simplification of application procedures is one of the issues being addressed. We expect to announce the outcome of the review this summer.
Mr. Hardy:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost of grants under the farm woodland premium scheme in each of the last seven years; and how, in each year, the sums paid out compared with the amounts budgeted. [17414]
Mr. Boswell:
The farm woodland premium scheme was launched on 1 April 1992. The first annual payments were not made until October 1993. Expenditure details for England are as follows:
| Year | Actual expenditure | PES provision |
|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-94 | 645 | 1,022 |
| 1994-95 | 1,362 | 2,713 |
| 1995-96 | (31)1,943 | 4,816 |
(31) Estimate.
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