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Green Pound

Mr. Swinney: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will bring into operation compensation provisions for farmers to take into account the appreciation of the green pound; and if he will make a statement. [9547]

Mr. Rooker: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green) on 3 July, Official Report, column 261.

Tuberculosis

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the security of Britain's tuberculosis-free status.[8893]

Mr. Rooker: The officially tuberculosis-free status of individual cattle herds in the United Kingdom is protected by routine tuberculin testing and by post mortem examination of cattle at the time of slaughter or killing.

21 Jul 1997 : Column: 459

BSE Research (Primates)

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement of the use of primates in BSE research commissioned by his Department. [9127]

Mr. Rooker: The Department has commissioned no research on BSE which involves the use of primates.

21 Jul 1997 : Column: 460

Cattle Cull

Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the changes in the level of payment and terms for cattle entering the over-30-months scheme since its introduction. [8929]

Mr. Rooker: The information requested is as follows:

21 Jul 1997 : Column: 459

	Basic rate in ecu/kg		Sterling rate for cull cows and bulls liveweight £/kg		Sterling rate for cull cows and bulls deadweight £/kg		Sterling rate for clean cattle liveweight £/kg	Sterling rate for clean cattle deadweight £/kg
Date	Cows	Bulls	Cows	Bulls	Cows	Bulls
29 April 1996	1.0
			0.86
			1.71
			1.11	2.22
18 June 1996	1.0
			0.86
			1.71
			1.01	2.02
1 July 1996	1.0
			0.83
			1.66
			0.98	1.96
14 July 1996	1.0
			0.83
			1.66
			0.93	1.86
5 August 1996	1.0
			0.83
			1.66	1.41	0.93	1.58
1 September 1996	1.0
			0.83
			1.66	1.41	0.88	1.50
21 October 1996	0.9
			0.75
			1.50	1.28	0.80	1.36
1 November 1996	0.9
			0.73
			1.46	1.24	0.78	1.33
2 November 1996	0.9
			0.73
			1.46	1.24	0.73	1.24
1 February 1997	0.9
			0.69
			1.38	1.17	0.69	1.17
1 April 1997	0.9
			0.67
			1.34	1.14	0.67	1.14
1 July 1997	0.9
			0.65
			1.30	1.10	0.65	1.10
4 August 1997	0.8	0.9	0.58	0.65	1.15	1.10	0.65	1.10

1. The sterling rate of compensation has been reduced on six occasions as a result of green pound fluctuations.

2. Compensation is fixed in terms of payments per kilogram live weight. Where cattle are not weighed live, a coefficient --of 2 for cows and 1.7 for all other cattle--is applied to the recorded dead weight.

3. A degressive top-up payment for clean cattle--heifers and steers--originally set at 25p/kg was available for the first six months of the scheme. The original top-up payment is still available for clean cattle that were over 30 months of age on 17 June 1996.

4. With effect from 25 November 1996, the minimum period during which an animal has to be present on a UK holding before becoming eligible for the scheme was increased from three months to six months.

5. With effect from 4 August 1997, payment will be limited to a maximum weight of 560 kg per animal.

6. All basic rates of payment in ecu or sterling apply to cows and bulls unless otherwise indicated.

21 Jul 1997 : Column: 459

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to help beef farmers cope with recent changes in the compensation regime. [9539]

Mr. Rooker: The changes to the compensation arrangements for the over-30-months scheme, which will apply from 4 August, have been introduced to reduce scheme expenditure, which is considerable. Providing financial assistance to offset the impact of the changes would frustrate the objective of reducing scheme expenditure.

Nevertheless, in the period leading up to 4 August, it is recognised that some farmers will accelerate their culling patterns to benefit from the current compensation rates. The Intervention Board has made provision for abattoirs to slaughter more animals than would otherwise have been accepted in this period, although it can not rule out the possibility that demand will exceed the capacity available.

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Minster of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost to farmers of the introduction of the weight limit on cull cattle compensation. [9542]

Mr. Rooker: The effect of the weight limit on farmers' incomes will depend on the weight of the animals being presented. For a typical suckler cow farmer culling five cows per year, each weighing 620 kg, the reduction in

21 Jul 1997 : Column: 460

income arising from the introduction of the weight limit and the lower compensation rate for cull cows will be about £395.

The weight limit and the reduced compensation rate for cull cows are being introduced to reduce expenditure on the over-30-months scheme, which is expected to amount to well over £200 million this year in compensation alone.

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the effect on farmers' incomes of the change in the base rate of compensation for over-30-months cattle to begin on 4 August. [9541]

Mr. Rooker: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the right hon. and learned Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Mr. Hogg) on 4 July, Official Report, columns 296-97.

BSE

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the percentage of the total Government expenditure relating to the BSE crisis that reaches farmers. [9540]

Mr. Morley: Of the £1.54 billion expenditure on BSE in 1996-97, about 60 per cent. was paid to farmers primarily through the over-30-months scheme and top-ups to the suckler cow and beef special premium schemes.

21 Jul 1997 : Column: 461

Intervention Stocks

Mr. Sedgemore: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the intervention stocks which have been sold to third countries in each of the last five years for which figures are available, indicating for each year the price and overall volume and the relevant world market price at time of sale. [8996]

Mr. Rooker: The information requested is as follows:

Intervention product	Calendar year	Quantity sold to third countries (tonnes)	Sale price per tonne (£)	World market price (£)
Beef
	1992	18,212	(16)1,200.70	(17)--
	1993	19,863	(16)1,401.83	(17)--
	1994	49,940	(16)1,061.1	(17)--
	1995	6,276	(16)1,582.46	(17)--
	1996	0
Barley
	1992	367,851	(18)68.34	(19)--
	1993	225,362	(18)59.64	(19)--
	1994	519,592	(18)64.07	(19)--
	1995	91,930	(18)68.01	(19)--
	1996	0
Butter and skimmed milk powder
	1992	0
	1993	0
	1994	0
	1995	0
	1996	0

(16) Intervention beef is sold by cut and different cuts have different sale prices. The sale prices shown are therefore average sales prices for all the cuts concerned. The work involved in establishing the individual sale prices for each of the cuts sold for each sale could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

(17) The world beef market is fragmented and prices vary considerably according to the export zone and/or country concerned. Consequently, there is not a recognised and established world market price for beef.

(18) The sale prices shown are average sale prices. The work involved in establishing the individual price for each sale could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

(19) The work involved in establishing the world market price at the time of sale could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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