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Carcases (Labelling)
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will require that carcases and cuts from animals slaughtered by religious methods be clearly labelled at the point of sale. [16518]
Mrs. Browning:
Following a comprehensive review of labelling issues in 1990, the Food Advisory Committee recommended that there should be no statutory requirement to provide information about slaughtering methods. The Government accepted this advice and have no plans to reconsider the issue. Such information may be provided voluntarily if it is true and not misleading.
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Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to ensure the legal exemption from pre-stunning livestock before slaughter is withdrawn in respect of animals slaughtered for religious purposes. [16519]
Mrs. Browning:
The Government have no plans to withdraw this exemption which recognises a fundamental matter of religious belief to communities that are an important part of our national life.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his plans in respect of badger removal programmes. [16685]
Mrs. Browning:
Professor Krebs and his committee are conducting an independent review of the scientific evidence relating to badgers and tuberculosis in cattle. It would be inappropriate to consider changes to the current policy until Professor Krebs has reported.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the (a) current reported outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis and (b) current and proposed badger removal programmes in Gloucester.[16686]
Mrs. Browning:
There are currently 37 herds in Gloucestershire under movement restrictions due to bovine TB. There are 13 badger removal operations in progress. A further seven badger removal operations have been approved and investigatory work has commenced on three of these.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library a copy of the report received by him from the European Commission following a visit from an inspector from the Commission between 4 to 7 November 1996. [16688]
Mrs. Browning:
A report from the European Commission has not been received.
Mr. Alfred Morris:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 14 February, Official Report, column 321, what plans he has to consult the British Veterinary Association on possible changes to the United Kingdom's rabies control arrangements when his Department's consideration of the matter has been concluded. [16846]
Mrs. Browning:
Should the review conclude that alternative options to quarantine are available, the views of the British Veterinary Association would be sought.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what qualifications were required in the appointment of a livestock transport adviser; when this position was first established; and if he will list the names, qualifications and experience of each holder of the post.[16689]
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Mrs. Browning:
I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many owners of quarantine kennels have agreed to abide by the voluntary code of practice on welfare standards in quarantine premises; and how many of those premises have been inspected by the state veterinary service to date. [16690]
Mrs. Browning:
Seventy-one owners of quarantine premises have agreed to abide by the voluntary code of practice. Of these, 59 have been inspected by the State Veterinary Service to date.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the inspections by the state veterinary service of quarantine premises that agree to abide by the voluntary code of practice on welfare standards to be completed. [16692]
Mrs. Browning:
The majority of inspections by the State Veterinary Service to ensure compliance with the voluntary code of practice have been carried out. But the programme will not be completed as early as originally planned due to the urgency of work connected with the outbreaks of Newcastle disease and the BSE accelerated cull programme. It will be completed as soon as possible.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many quarantine premises have (a) indicated that they will not comply and (b) have not yet responded to the Minister's invitation to comply with the voluntary code of practice on welfare standards.[16693]
Mrs. Browning:
Four quarantine premises have indicated that they do not wish to comply with the voluntary code of practice at this stage. Two have not yet responded to the invitation.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many ports and airports through which cats and dogs may be imported into the United Kingdom have facilities for holding animals prior to them being taken into quarantine. [16694]
Mrs. Browning:
Five ports and nine airports.
Mr. Harry Greenway:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in implementing the challenge for agriculture programme in English objective 5b areas. [17476]
Mr. Douglas Hogg:
Six areas in England are designated for support under objective 5b of the EC structural funds. They are:
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The challenge for agriculture programme is formed of those elements of the objective 5b programmes which are part-financed by the guidance section of the European agriculture guidance and guarantee fund--EAGGF. The programme also attracts national public funding, mainly from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and levers in substantial amounts of private sector funding to support the investments that it encourages.
Assistance is available for a wide range of farm-related activities that will promote economic development in the objective 5b areas, in particular, farm tourism, agricultural and horticultural development and diversification, protection and enhancement of the environment, generation of energy from alternative sources by the agricultural industry and the promotion and marketing of local and regional products.
The first EAGGF projects under the challenge for agriculture programme in England were approved in March 1995. In the two years since then, a total of 144 projects have already been approved across the six designated areas with EAGGF grant of £13 million and MAFF grant of £10 million committed to them. As these projects are implemented, they will lead to the eventual total investment of almost £50 million in the objective 5b areas concerned. Projects supported to date vary from small schemes to develop and promote local meat production to multi-million pound projects promoting farm tourism, offering business support to farmers and protecting the environment.
I am particularly pleased with the interest shown to date in the challenge for agriculture programme across the agricultural sector and expect that many more worthwhile projects will come forward for funding before the end of this programme in 1999. It demonstrates MAFF's commitment to the rural economy, with sound and sustainable economic benefit in the objective 5b areas concerned.
My ministerial colleagues and I maintain a close interest in the development of objective 5b and the challenge for agriculture programme and have previously visited a number of projects which have been approved and are in receipt of funding. Further such visits are planned for 21 February to projects in the northern uplands, the south-west, the Marches and Lincolnshire objective 5b areas.
A list of the challenge for agriculture projects approved to date in each of the six English objective 5b areas has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mrs. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of the disposal per tonne of cattle carcases (a) by incineration, (b) by landfill and (c) by other means.[10342]
Mr. Baldry
[pursuant to his reply, 16 January 1997]: The cost of rendering and incinerating meat and bonemeal and tallow derived from cattle carcases is around £215 per tonne.
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The South West--Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Devon and Somerset;
The Marches--most of Shropshire and parts of Hereford and Worcester;
The Northern uplands--parts of Lancashire, parts of north and east Yorkshire, Durham, Cumbria and Northumberland;
Lincolnshire--Most of northern and eastern Lincolnshire, excluding the city of Lincoln and other mainly urban areas;
East Anglia--the Fens, rural Norfolk, Lowestoft and rural east Suffolk; and
Midland uplands--Peak district of Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
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