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Departmental Web Site
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department established its internet site; what representations he has received and what data he has collated on the use and utility of the site; and what steps he is taking to increase the amount of information available via the site. [19150]
Mr. Boswell: The Department introduced a dedicated world wide web site on the Internet in October 1996, following experience gained over the previous two years in publishing information via the CCTA Government Information Service. MAFF's web pages have been accessed over 90,000 times since the service was introduced, and over 550 new pages have been added. The Department encourages feedback and suggestions for improvement to the site, and has provided an E-mail address for this purpose. A number of comments on the content and structure of the site have been received, and these are being addressed as part of the continuing effort to improve and extend the service.
Slaughterhouses
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidelines he has issued on the use of goads in slaughterhouses. [19575]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 10 March 1997]: Guidance on the use of sticks and goads in slaughterhouses was given in the code of practice on the welfare of red meat animals at slaughter which came into operation on 1 January 1993, having been laid before Parliament. Revised codes are in preparation. Any problems in individual premises are followed up by Meat Hygiene Service staff with the operator concerned.
Mr. Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidelines he has issued since 14 December 1995 relating to the necessity of sterilising slaughtering implements in slaughterhouses. [19550]
Mrs. Browning
[holding answer 10 March 1997]: None since 14 December 1995. Detailed guidelines on the necessity of sterilising slaughtering implements in
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slaughterhouses are contained in the Meat Hygiene Service operations manual, issued in April 1995 to all official veterinary surgeons and plant operators. Any premises in which improvements are needed are followed up on an individual basis by Meat Hygiene Service staff with the operator concerned.
Mr. Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidelines he has issued since 14 December 1995 concerning ventilation in sheep lairages at slaughterhouses. [19570]
Mrs. Browning
[holding answer 10 March 1997]: None since 14 December 1995. Guidance on ventilation in lairages at slaughterhouses is given in the code of practice on the construction and layout of red meat slaughterhouses in relation to animal welfare which came into operation on 1 January 1993, having been laid before Parliament. Revised codes are in preparation. Guidance on welfare matters generally is given in the Meat Hygiene Service operations manual, issued in April 1995 to all official veterinary surgeons and plant operators. Any premises in which improvements are needed are followed up on an individual basis by Meat Hygiene Service staff with the operator concerned.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to implement the recommendations of the hygiene advice team report on red meat. [19548]
Mrs. Browning:
I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 6 March 1997, Official Report, columns 1023-35.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will undertake further research into methods of livestock production which reduce disease levels without the use of drugs; and if he will make a statement. [19215]
Mrs. Browning:
One of the Department's research objectives is to promote disease control in livestock through methods other than treatment with veterinary medicines. The sustainable livestock production research programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, includes work to improve the efficiency of control of diseases in farm animals and therefore to reduce the amount of veterinary medicines used. In addition, there is ongoing research into organic livestock production methods.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department will undertake urgently research into cross-resistance between enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin; and if he will make a statement. [19287]
Mrs. Browning:
Information on work at the Central Veterinary Laboratory on cross resistance between enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in salmonella was published in The Veterinary Record in May 1989 and in
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The Lancet in July 1990. The independent scientific Veterinary Products Committee keeps the issue of antibiotic resistance under review.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received over the therapeutic use of enrofloxacin to control respiratory disease in poultry; and if he will make a statement. [19285]
Mrs. Browning:
I am unaware of any representations received about the therapeutic use of enrofloxacin to control respiratory disease in poultry.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reasons and in what circumstances tylosin is available without the need for a prescription; and if he will make a statement. [19282]
Mrs. Browning:
Tylosin is authorised for use throughout the European Union as a zootechnical feed additive under directive 70/524/EEC. It is an aid to improving growth rate and feed conversion efficiency in pigs. In the UK, the sale and supply of products containing tylosin are subject to the provisions of the Medicines (Veterinary Drugs) (Pharmacy and Merchants' List) Order 1992, as amended. Seven products containing tylosin as the active ingredient may be made available through veterinarians or pharmacists or certain agricultural merchants registered with, and inspected by, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Sales are restricted to persons whom the seller knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, to be persons who keep animals for business purposes.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the use of growth-promoting antibiotics in lactating cows. [19290]
Mrs. Browning:
No antibiotic growth promoter is authorised for use in lactating dairy cows. The current authorisation for avoparcin as a milk enhancer will be withdrawn, together with all other feed additive uses of avoparcin, by 1 April 1997.
Mr Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what data his Department collates on changes in the purpose for which antibiotics in agriculture are used, and if he will make a statement; [19216]
Mrs. Browning:
The Government do not hold such data or statistics.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the use of (i) virginiamycin, (ii) zinc bacitracin, (iii) bambermycin, (iv) spiramycin and (v) avoparcin in lactating cows; and what representations he has received on their use. [19289]
Mrs. Browning:
The Ministry does not commission research into the use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine. No veterinary medicinal product is authorised for use in the UK unless it first satisfies statutory criteria for safety, quality and efficacy. Data submitted in support of applications for authorisation are assessed by the veterinary medicines directorate and all antibiotics for the
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treatment of food producing animals in the UK are also very carefully considered by the independent scientific Veterinary Products Committee.
With the exception of avoparcin, none of the antibiotics listed is authorised for use in lactating cows. Authorisations for avoparcin are to be withdrawn by 1 April 1997.
I have twice met the technical manager of Roche Products Ltd., which manufactures avoparcin.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list with dates each known outbreak of drug-resistant campylobacter food poisoning linked to British poultry; and if he will make a statement. [19288]
Mr. Horam:
I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not routinely recorded.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has evaluated into farm animals as a source of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infection in man; what assessment he has made of this research; and if he will make a statement. [19360]
Mrs. Browning:
The "Report of the Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition (SCAN) on the Possible Risk for Humans on the Use of Avoparcin as Feed Additive", dated 21 May 1996, lists the relevant
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information. A copy of the report is available in the Library of the House. The UK's independent scientific Veterinary Products Committee has considered the SCAN's report and agrees with its conclusions.
(2) what statistics are collated by his Department on the quantities of each antibiotic used in agriculture; and if he will make a statement. [19283]
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