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Common Fisheries Policy Review Group

Sir Hector Monro: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Government will respond to the report of the common fisheries policy review group. [10456]

Mr. Baldry: The Government have carried out consultations on the report issued by the common fisheries policy review group in July. The results of the consultation have been taken into account in preparing the Government response, which is being placed in the Library today.

I am very grateful to the members of the group for all the work they put into preparing a thorough and wide-ranging document.

The group's overall conclusion was that the common fisheries policy has failings but that UK withdrawal would not address the fundamental problems facing the fishing industry. Where changes are needed, the CFP should therefore be improved from within. The Government agree with this approach as representing the only practicable way forward.

Forty specific recommendations are included in the group's report. The Government's response covers each of these in turn.

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ADAS

Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he will take to ensure that the benefits of his Department's future research and development carried out by ADAS continue to be made available to the industry as a whole following privatisation. [10464]

Mr. Boswell: We are well aware of the need to ensure that Department-funded research results continue to be properly exploited to the benefit of the industry as a whole. Where existing intellectual property rights are sold with ADAS business, we will attach appropriate conditions which may include a requirement on the purchaser to grant non-exclusive licences to third parties to exploit the intellectual property. Future contracts with the privatised company will specify the arrangements for ownership of the intellectual property rights and the conditions attached to such ownership.

Mammalian Meat and Bonemeal (Transport)

Mr. Martin Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many representations he has received concerning potential cross-contamination from the transport of mammalian meat and bonemeal in vehicles that are also used to transport grain; and if he will make a statement. [7946]

Mrs. Browning [pursuant to his reply, 10 December 1996, c. 106]: I have been further advised by my officials that we are aware of two letters on this issue which have been received.

"New Labour's Expenditure Plans"

Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what costs quoted in the document "New Labour's Public Expenditure Plans" were prepared in his Department; what detailed assumptions and interpretations were provided to officials in his Department and to enable preparation of each cost; and what was the total cost to public funds of preparing each estimate. [6353]

Mr. Hogg: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in conjunction with the Treasury, prepared the factual material relating to costings published in "New Labour's Public Expenditure Plans" numbered 4, 5 and 6. The detailed assumptions and interpretations that were provided to officials are set out in my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary's reply to the right hon. Gentleman on 17 December 1996. It is not normal working practice to keep a record of the time spent in providing factual information to Ministers and it is not therefore possible to offer a reliable estimate of the costs involved.

Frozen Meat

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what assessment he has made of the health risks from meat sold as fresh which has previously been frozen; [7361]

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Mrs. Browning: The law currently requires the name of a food to include reference to its physical condition or treatment--for example, frozen--if omission of such information would mislead the consumer.

The health risks associated with meat which has been previously frozen are no greater than those from meat which has not been previously frozen. Provided the meat is cooked thoroughly and kept free from cross-contamination after cooking, it will be safe to eat. The long-standing Government advice has been widely disseminated in Government publicity on food safety for many years.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what representations he has received to restore the requirement that meat sold as fresh which had previously been frozen should be clearly so labelled; [7365]

Mrs. Browning: Specific labelling requirements for meat and offal previously frozen were removed at the behest of the EC Commission as being at variance with harmonised EC labelling rules. No representations have been received seeking their restoration. None the less, the law currently requires the name of a food to include reference to its physical condition or treatment--for example, previously frozen--if omission of such information would mislead the purchaser. We shall be adding to the guidance notes on the food labelling regulations further advice on the way food processes and treatments should be indicated.

Cattle Cull

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his current estimate of the number of animals remaining to be culled in the over-30-month cull scheme; and if he will make a statement. [7913]

Mr. Baldry: The backlog of animals waiting to be slaughtered under the over-30-month scheme has now been eliminated in Great Britain and will very shortly be cleared in Northern Ireland. Cattle will therefore be able to be presented for the scheme at their normal point of slaughter, as originally intended.

Animals (Identification)

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many and what percentage of (a) farm and (b) domestic animals were (i) identified and (ii) newly identified by (1) a microchip and (2) a tattoo in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [9654]

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Mrs. Browning [holding answer 17 December 1996]: This information for farm animals is not collected centrally. Questions relating to domestic animals are a matter for the Home Department.

Beef Exports (South Africa)

Mr. Caborn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much UK beef was exported to

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South Africa in each of the years 1991 to 1995 and for each month in 1996 until the imposition of the EU export ban; and how much of this in each period was (a) frozen, (b) chilled, (c) fresh and (d) preserved or prepared. [9225]

Mrs. Browning: It is not possible separately to identify exports of beef of UK origin from those of non-UK origin. However, exports of beef from the UK to South Africa, as recorded in the overseas trade statistics, were as follows:

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Beef exports to South Africa 1991-95

199119921993(17)1994(17)1995
(a) Frozen beeftonnes1,7227553,12310,26327,011
value (£'000s)1,6177873,9299,36423,744
(b) + (c) Fresh and chiled beef (18)tonnes021476146
value (£'000s)028277590
(d) Beef prepared and preservedtonnes00100
value (£'000s)00300
Total Volumetonnes1,7227763,17110,32427,057
Total Valuevalue (£'000s)1,6178153,9609,43923.834

(17) Date provisional and subject to amendment.

(18) Exports of fresh and chilled beef are not separately available.


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Beef exports to South Africa 1996

January(19)February(19)March(19)1996 Total(19)
(a) Frozen beeftonnes8792,2121,8934,985
value (£000s)9651,8831,5134,361
(b) + (c) Fresh and chilled beef (20)tonnes0000
value (£000s)0000
(d) Beef prepared and preservedtonnes0000
value (£000s)0000
Total Volumetonnes8792,2121,8934,985
Total Valuevalue (£000s)9651,8831,5134,361

(19) Data provisional and subject to amendment.

(20) Exports of fresh and chilled beef are not separately available.


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18 Dec 1996 : Column: 653

Mr. Caborn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the level of the EC export refund given on beef exports to South Africa currently; and what it was in each of the years 1991 to 1995. [9226]

Mr. Baldry: There are 92 separate rates of export refund covering the export of beef and beef products from the EC to South Africa. However, when beef was exported from the UK to South Africa it tended to be in two categories: fresh chilled boneless cuts from the hindquarters of adult male bovines--special export refund beef; and other fresh chilled or frozen boneless cuts. These are set out with their current rate of export refund:



During the years 1991 to 1995 different rates applied at different times. A list of these is in the table, together with the agricultural conversion--green--rates which convert these into sterling.

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ECU/100 kg
Date Special export refundOther fresh/chilled and frozen
16 July 1991312.00165.00
31 July 1993296.00157.00
27 November 1993281.50149.00
29 January 1994267.50141.50
4 August 1994267.50141.50
26 November 1994254.00134.50
1 February 1995 306.71162.41
17 February 1995306.50162.50
21 September 1995296.00157.00
14 October 1995281.00149.00
11 November 1995267.00141.50
18 November 1995200.00106.00
13 December 1995227.00120.50
11 February 1996244.00129.50
1 May 1996274.00145.50


18 Dec 1996 : Column: 655

Green rate

Ref. wef dateValue
14 May 19900.795232
17 June 19910.795423
17 September 19920.808227
22 September 19920.818896
19 November 19920.880533
26 November 19920.897525
1 January 19930.939052
1 February 19930.951031
3 February 19930.968391
1 March 19930.980715
11 April 19930.978559
21 April 19930.970726
27 April 19930.964017
28 May 19930.959111
1 July 19930.948645
21 July 19930.937041
24 July 19930.930787
1 August 19930.920969
1 July 19940.932453
14 July 19940.946550
21 August 19940.953575
11 September 19940.953575
1 February 19950.789704
17 February 19950.799794
21 February 19950.805837
6 March 19950.807419
16 March 19950.821220
26 March 19950.829882
15 April 19950.833125
25 April 19950.836385
15 May 19950.840997
4 July 19950.843954
18 November 19950.854276
21 November 19950.856563
17 June 19960.833821
1 November 19960.809915

Mr. Caborn: To ask the Minster of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the quantity of beef exports to South Africa which has been re-exported to the EU from (a) Botswana, (b) Namibia, (c) Swaziland or (d) Lesotho since 1991. [9227]

Mr. Baldry: The information requested is not available.


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