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Food Standards Agency
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will invite Mrs. M. Kellie of Nelson House, Staverton, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6PA to take part in the open consultation process on the establishment of a Food Standards Agency; and if he will make a statement on the progress of the consultation process. [76794]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 17 March 1999]: Mrs. Kellie attended a consultation meeting in Bristol on 15 March. She has also been sent a copy of the consultation papers dealing with the draft Food Standards Bill, on which her comments would be welcome.
By 16 March, 176 responses to this consultation exercise had been received. The deadline for responses to the consultation is 24 March.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what responses he has received to date to the consultation exercise on a draft Food Standards Agency Bill. [76458]
Mr. Rooker:
By 15 March, 158 responses had been received. The deadline for responses to the consultation is 24 March 1999.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy in respect of the draft Directive on Irradiated Food. [75090]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: The Government consider that the recently adopted EC Directive on Irradiated Food represents an important step in harmonising food irradiation legislation across the EU. Amongst other things, this will require all irradiated foods to be clearly labelled in line with current UK requirements. The Directive will be implemented in the UK within the prescribed time frame of 18 months from the date when the Directive is published by the EC Commission.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the process following the nomination of Julie Shepherd to serve on the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. [75087]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: A number of candidates were considered for the post of consumer representative on the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. The person chosen for this
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position by Ministers was particularly well qualified having both experience of consumer issues and a scientific qualification. If the hon. Member has particular concerns about this, perhaps he will write to me.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by title the unpublished reports into aspects of genetic modification which are held by his Department. [75098]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: It is not the normal practice of governments to release details of information relating to internal policy analysis as is made clear in the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
This Department does, however, seek to make available as much information about genetic modification as possible. For example, the minutes of the meetings of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP), and papers produced and considered by the Committee, are routinely published on the MAFF website. Reports of ACNFP assessments of novel food applications are also published in the Committee's annual reports.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information his Department has collated on the charges levied on abattoirs in other EU member states for meat inspection as prescribed by the EU Directive. [76288]
Mr. Rooker:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice) on 9 March 1999, Official Report, column 193.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of passports issued for cattle for each month since the start of the scheme which have required amendment as a result of error. [76219]
Mr. Rooker:
Since the Cattle Tracing System was launched on 28 September 1998, the following number of cheque-book style passports have been re-issued by the British Cattle Movement Service in each month:
Processes
| Date | |
|---|---|
| 28 September--October 1998: | 5,368 |
| November 1998: | 13,237 |
| December 1998: | 13,717 |
| January 1999: | 20,364 |
| February 1999: | 16,880 |
This figure includes both passports re-issued as a result of error and those re-issued because of loss.
Figures for passports re-issued under the Cattle Passports System between 1 July 1996 and 28 September 1998 are not readily available and could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received requesting a review of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966; and if he will make a statement. [76618]
Mr. Rooker:
Both the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) have been seeking changes to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and Orders made under it. These representations, which deal with the scope of the work which should be reserved to veterinary surgeons or which might be entrusted to paraprofessionals, have raised a number of issues that require serious consideration.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what amount by value of US dairy products are imported into the United Kingdom; and if they benefit from the US Dairy Export Incentive Programme. [76207]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 16 March 1999]: In 1998 the UK imported dairy products from the US to the value of £3,436,068. 90 per cent. of this figure consisted of imports of ice cream. In 1997-98 and 1998-99 the UK has not been a target market for the US Dairy Export Incentive Programme (which does not in any case cover ice cream), so UK imports of US dairy products have not benefited from this Programme.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of whether the Dairy Export Incentive Programme of the United States is consistent with World Trade Organisation agreements. [76206]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 16 March 1999]: Export subsidies are permitted under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, subject to commitments to reduce both the volume of and expenditure on subsidised exports over the period of the Agreement, and to notify these subsidies to the WTO.
The US Dairy Incentive Export Programme is a notified subsidy, and there is no evidence from the most recent figures submitted to suggest that the US is not reducing its agricultural export subsidies in line with the Agriculture Agreement. I therefore have no reason to believe that this measure is not in compliance with WTO rules. However, the compatibility with WTO rules of any trade measure can be definitively determined only under WTO dispute settlement procedures.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those companies involved in genetically modified crops to which research grants have been awarded by his Department in the last three years. [75863]
Mr. Nick Brown
[holding answer 10 March 1999]: The Ministry has awarded a research grant to Advanced Technologies (Cambridge) Ltd. together with Leeds University to develop nematode resistance in crops.
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In addition, the Ministry co-funds research on a wide range of topics under the Government's LINK scheme. The following companies are 'co-funding' genetically modified crop research with the Ministry.
Mr. Colvin:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into Horse Chestnut disease; [R] [75850]
(3) what discussions he has had with ministers of European Union countries about the spread of Horse Chestnut disease; [R] [75833]
(4) what arrangements he has made for effective measures to be taken to combat Horse Chestnut disease. [R] [75834]
Mr. Morley:
The horse chestnut leaf miner causes horse chestnut trees to lose their leaves; these symptoms are sometimes referred to as Horse Chestnut disease. The leaf miner has not been found in the United Kingdom; it prefers the warmer summers found in other parts of Europe.
The Forestry Commission has studied the problem and evaluated the risks it poses to trees in the United Kingdom, drawing on experience and research in continental Europe. The Commission concluded that the risk of the leaf miner becoming established in the United Kingdom is very small, and that there is therefore no need for further research in the United Kingdom at present. We shall, of course, continue to monitor the spread of the leaf miner elsewhere in Europe, in association with other European countries.
As the leaf miner is not present in the United Kingdom, we do not think that a publicity campaign to heighten awareness is necessary. We shall, however, continue to enforce our strict plant health regulations which should ensure that the leaf miner does not enter the country on imported plants or timber.
Neither my right hon. Friend the Minister nor I have discussed the problem with fellow Ministers in the European Union. Our officials in the Forestry Commission are, however, keeping in close contact with their colleagues in other Governments and research institutes throughout Europe.
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Zeneca, Nickerson Zwaan BV
PBI (now Monsanto)
Advanced Technologies (Cambridge) Ltd.
Agricultural Genetics Co.
Novartis
Agrevo
Nutting and Sons Ltd.
Elsoms Seeds Ltd.
A. L. Tozer Ltd.
Kentish Garden Marketing Ltd.
(2) what publicity his Ministry has undertaken to ensure that the symptoms of Horse Chestnut disease can be recognised; and what estimate he has made of its prevalence in the United Kingdom; [R] [75832]
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