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BSE
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to test randomly the brains of slaughtered dairy cows for BSE. [66503]
Mr. Rooker: A study of brain tissue from cattle slaughtered in the Over Thirty Months Scheme was started on 4 January 1999. The aim is to collect, by the end of March, samples from 4,000 animals. The brain samples will be tested for the presence of abnormal prion protein (PrPsc) by two or more of the recently developed diagnostic tests, and also studied by histopathology for evidence of vacuolation. In compliance with a recommendation from SEAC, the study is being confined, in so far as is possible, to animals 5 years of age or over. 5 years is the average incubation period of BSE and PrPsc has been detected in brain tissue only quite late in the BSE incubation period.
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what methods are available to confirm the diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy using brain materials from slaughtered animals. [66499]
Mr. Rooker: At the moment, all diagnostic tests for BSE using brain tissue rely upon the infectious agent having reached the central nervous system. Current evidence indicates that this event occurs late in the incubation period, shortly before clinical onset. Any diagnostic test applied earlier in the incubation period is therefore likely to produce a negative result, even if the animal is infected. Once infectivity has reached the central nervous system, several diagnostic options are theoretically possible although none will be absolute. In other words, there may be some false negative results and interpretation of positive results is still open to question, given that some of the available tests have not been fully validated. The options available include mouse inoculation, which could take up to three years to give a result; histopathological examination of the brain stem; extraction of "scrapie-associated fibrils"; or one of a range of immunologically based tests for the detection of abnormal prion protein. None of the latter have been fully validated as yet.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the percentage of suspected BSE cases that have been subsequently confirmed in each year from 1988 to 1998. [66504]
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Mr. Rooker:
Of the cases placed under restriction in each calendar year and subsequently slaughtered, the following percentages were confirmed:
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| Year of restriction | Confirmation rate for suspected BSE cases |
| 1988 | 91.92 |
| 1989 | 88.54 |
| 1990 | 85.22 |
| 1991 | 86.24 |
| 1992 | 85.00 |
| 1993 | 83.66 |
| 1994 | 83.40 |
| 1995 | 83.36 |
| 1996 | 78.95 |
| 1997 | 81.30 |
| 1998 | (9)77.16 |
(9) The 1998 figure is provisional; some results are still pending. It is unlikely that the full figures for 1998 will be available before the end of May 1999.
Note:
Data as at 8 January 1999
Consultation (Farmers)
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library full copies of the responses received to the Government's current consultation process with farmers, with the analysis carried out of the responses by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [66365]
Mr. Nick Brown: Farmers in England are being asked for their views on the implementation of proposals to reform the Common Agricultural Policy. Over 175,000 questionnaires have been sent out to farmers in England, asking them to indicate, by placing a tick in the appropriate box, whether they agree or disagree with options. Equivalent consultation exercises are being undertaken in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although it would not be meaningful to place copies of all individual returned questionnaires in the Library, summaries and analyses of the returned questionnaires will be deposited in the Library at intervals.
Pesticides
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funding will be available for the Integrated Farming Initiative to limit the use of pesticides. [66590]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 19 January 1999]: The Department is committed to the encouragement of integrated farming and has spent over £1 million on research in this area in recent years, much of it through the LINK programme. The findings of this research were featured in a conference sponsored by MAFF in October 1998. Careful management of pesticide use is only one element of integrated farming and it would not be appropriate to single this out for dedicated funding.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations have taken place with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions concerning the implementation of a pesticide tax. [66591]
21 Jan 1999 : Column: 576
Mr. Nick Brown
[holding answer 19 January 1999]: Extensive study of the issues surrounding the introduction of a possible pesticide tax has been carried out by ECOTEC Research & Consulting on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. An interdepartmental group of officials, including those from my own Department, oversaw the conduct of this research. Ministers have not so far discussed the consultant's conclusions.
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 18 to 19 January; and if he will make a statement. [67011]
Mr. Nick Brown:
I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the EU Agriculture Council in Brussels on 18 and 19 January 1999.
The German Presidency informed the Agriculture Council of the work programme for the coming six months, of which the principal focus would be completion of the negotiation for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the framework of Agenda 2000. In addition, the Presidency made it clear that the Council would discuss proposals on the annual CAP price fixing, animal welfare, consumer protection and organic livestock standards.
The Council resumed its discussions of the Agenda 2000 CAP reform proposals by conducting an in-depth debate on reform of the beef and milk sectors. On behalf of the UK, I supported the Commission's proposal to reduce prices and abolish intervention buying in the beef sector, though with appropriate arrangements to safeguard the systems of extensively-reared beef production which is characteristic of the UK. On reform of the milk sector, I pressed the case for a more thorough-going reform than that proposed by the Commission, referring specifically to the proposal made by the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy and Sweden for reform in this sector which would lead to the eventual abolition of milk quotas.
The German Presidency outlined a programme of work on the CAP aspects of Agenda 2000, leading up to the meeting of the Agriculture Council beginning on 22 February. They indicated their intention to try to draw the negotiation to a conclusion at that Council in view of the timetable laid down by Heads of Government in Cardiff and in Vienna for completion of the whole package of measures by the end of March 1999. I welcomed their commitment to reaching early agreement on these proposals.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what has been the total expenditure and the
21 Jan 1999 : Column: 577
breakdown of expenditure in the Cabinet Office since May 1997 on (a) public opinion research, (b) television, radio and newspaper advertising, (c) direct mail and (d) publicity. [64186]
Mr. Kilfoyle
[pursuant to his reply, 11 January 1999, c. 93]: I regret that a previous reply was incomplete in respect of amounts spent by the Cabinet Office since May 1997 on public opinion research. The amount showed £481,200 when it should have read £750,108 the expenditure on television, radio and newspaper advertising, £220,164; on direct mail, £794,319; and on publicity, £1,158,469 remain unchanged. All figures are net of recoverable VAT.
21 Jan 1999 : Column: 578
Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to permit licensed jury deliberation research. [66693]
Mr. Hoon:
The Government have no plans to amend section 8 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, which effectively bars research into how a jury has conducted its deliberations. It is possible to conduct research into certain other aspects of the jury system without contravening the Contempt of Court Act. Any proposals received by the Government for such research are considered individually.