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Local Veterinary Inspectors

Mr. Heppell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 23 April, Official Report, column 140, which provision of

18 Jun 1996 : Column: 431

paragraph 4g of part II of the code of practice on access to Government information he refers to when withholding the names of local veterinary inspectors. [32526]

Mrs. Browning: Paragraph 4g of part II of the code of practice on access to Government information permits the withholding of information whose disclosure could endanger the life or physical safety of any person, or identify the source of information or assistance given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes.

Postage Costs

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much his Department spent on postage in the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96; and how many items were posted during these periods. [32843]

Mr. Boswell: The Department's expenditure on postage in 1994-95 was £1,853,970.64 and in 1995-96 was £1,596,147.88. No record was kept of the number of items posted.

Wildlife Trusts

Sir Kenneth Carlisle: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the wildlife trusts; what issues were raised; and if he will make a statement. [33020]

Mr. Boswell: The Minister met the wildlife trust in Lincolnshire on 10 June and visited various sites.

Issues raised included pesticides; soil erosion; set-aside; countryside stewardship; the common agricultural policy and the intergovernmental conference; farmland birds; and agri-environmental schemes.

In a subsequent interview with the "Natural World", the Minister was asked about reconciling food production with protection of the environment; CAP reform; biodiversity; the uplands; wildlife legislation; and the Government's achievements and aims for wildlife. He emphasised the considerable achievements of the expanded agri-environmental programme.

Customer Charters

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) the customer charters which are currently in use within his Department and its executive agencies and (b) the charters which have been withdrawn. [32827]

Mr. Boswell: The following customer service standards have been produced under the citizens charter and are currently in use within this Department and its executive agencies: Department


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No customer service standards have been withdrawn.

Statistics

Mr. Fisher: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which statistics his Department has discontinued (a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32858]

Mr. Boswell: The Ministry regularly reviews the statistics which are collected and disseminated to ensure that needs are met cost effectively. Information is not held in a form which could identify all changes since 1989 except at disproportionate cost, but the following regular statistical surveys have been discontinued:


Tobacco Producers

Sir Keith Speed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the countries of the European Union in receipt of EU funds to subsidise their tobacco producers and the total such expenditure to each country for the most recent 12-month period. [33182]

Mr. Baldry: Details of expenditure on the tobacco regime by the Community, broken down by member state, are contained in annex 2 of the annual financial reports on the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, EAGGF, guarantee section, copies of which have been deposited in the Library of the House.

Provisional figures for 1995 are:

Mecu£ million(10)
Belgium3.52.8
Germany26.221.2
Greece411.4332.4
Spain125.7101.6
France81.265.6
Italy331.6267.9
Netherlands0.10.1
Portugal13.310.7
Total993.0802.4

(10) £1=1.23759 ecu. Figures may not add to totals shown because of rounding.

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Animal Feed

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in each year since 1989 animal feed producers were prosecuted for failure to comply with regulations relating to bovine spongiform encephalopathy governing the production, distribution and supply of cattle feed. [31248]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 4 June 1996]: No producers of animal feed have been prosecuted for failure to comply with BSE regulations relating to the production, distribution and supply of cattle feed.

Action has been taken in conjunction with the animal feed producers where problems were identified to put these right. Feed mills are now being visited on a regular basis and samples taken for analysis. This involves tests for mammalian protein which had to be specially developed and were not available for full use until February 1996.

Beef Supplies

Mr. Marlow: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances he will make over 30 months' prime beef available to the United Kingdom consumer. [31829]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 7 June 1996]: Proposals for the establishment of a voluntary beef assurance scheme for those specialist beef herds reared mainly on grass which had not come into contact with meat or bonemeal and where no cases of BSE have occurred were issued on 3 May. Under the proposed scheme, participants will be able to sell cattle over 30 months for slaughter for human consumption purposes. The detailed rules of the scheme are being drawn up with a view to introducing it in July.

Animal Feedstuff

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the measures taken by the Government to ensure that no feed containing meat and bone meal was fed to farm animals over the past 30 months. [31383]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 10 June 1996]: The Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Amendment) Order 1996, which came into effect on 29 March, prohibits in Great Britain the sale or supply of any mammalian meat and bone meal, for the purposes of feeding to farmed animals, including poultry, horses and farmed fish. The order also made it an offence, from 4 April, to use any mammalian meat and bonemeal, or feed containing it, for feeding to farmed animals. These measures are being reinforced by a programme of inspection and sampling on

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farms and at feed mills. This programme is due shortly to be widened in scope and intensity to increase the current rate of sampling.

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what agency will be responsible for identifying proscribed animal feed and for initiating legal proceedings against those holding it; and what estimate he has made of the manpower and budget consequences of this proposal. [31626]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 10 June 1996]: The state veterinary service and local authorities will be responsible for identifying proscribed mammalian meat and bonemeal and feed containing meat and bonemeal and will initiate proceedings in accordance with the appropriate legislation. Such activities will be carried out as part of their normal enforcement responsibilities.

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