| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Genetically Modified Soya
Ms Walley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions (a) he has had and (b) he plans to have with Brazil's Agriculture Minister in respect of genetically modified free soya supplies to the UK; and if he will make a statement. [80557]
Mr. Rooker: I have not met, or have plans to meet, the Brazilian Agriculture Minister to discuss GM soya supplies. This Department has published a list of suppliers of GM free soya for anyone wanting to obtain such material.
Badgers
Mr. Syms: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects his Department's study into the links between TB in cattle and badgers to be published. [80288]
Mr. Rooker: Under the TB strategy I announced on 17 August last year, the links between TB in cattle and badgers will be examined through research and the randomised badger culling trial. The trial is planned to run for five or more years. The research projects, whose details I announced on 10 March 1999, Official Report, columns 301-02, will take between two and five years to complete, and some may provide the basis for further projects. Subject to the need to ensure that premature publication does not jeopardise future work, I envisage that the results will be published as they become available.
Food Safety
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on schemes which promote industry-wide production systems in (a) agriculture and (b) horticulture to demonstrate the safety and traceability of the food produced. [80244]
Mr. Rooker:
Industry-wide assurance schemes which go beyond statutory requirements are for the industry to take forward in light of their assessment of prevailing market conditions. I welcome the development of these assurance schemes because they can help provide the consumer with confidence in the integrity of the product.
15 Apr 1999 : Column: 321
Ms Walley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the suppliers of genetically modified free maize. [80558]
Mr. Rooker:
GM maize is not grown commercially in the EU, except for a small amount in Spain and France last year, all of which was used within Spain. Supplies of non-GM maize are thus widely available within Europe and a list of such suppliers is therefore unnecessary.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement in respect of measures to prevent contamination of honey by genetically modified material. [80556]
Mr. Rooker:
The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes hosted a workshop in 1991 to consider the safety of pollen from GM plants in honey. The workshop's conclusion was that the consumption of gene products from pollen in honey was likely to be negligible. The results from three research projects commissioned by MAFF to investigate this further subsequently confirmed this conclusion.
Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has obtained regarding regulations affecting the sale of higher-dose vitamin and mineral supplements in other European Union member states. [80222]
Mr. Rooker:
Legislation on vitamin and mineral supplements varies from member state to member state. In most cases the rules relating to supplements sold under food law are more restrictive than those applying in the United Kingdom and typically limit the permitted level of vitamins and minerals in supplements to the Recommended Daily Amount or a multiple thereof.
Mr. Paice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much beef has been exported from Northern Ireland since the ban was lifted on 16 March 1998. [80180]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 13 April 1999]: There has only been one company involved in the export of beef from Northern Ireland since the lifting of the ban. In these circumstances, I cannot provide the information requested as it is commercial in confidence.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the share of the domestic retail milk market currently accounted for by imports; and if he will provide corresponding figures for each of the last 10 years. [79939]
15 Apr 1999 : Column: 322
Mr. Rooker:
In 1998, it is estimated that imports accounted for 0.8 per cent. of the domestic retail liquid drinking milk market. The corresponding figures for each of the last ten years are shown in the table.
| Year | Production (1) | Imports (2) | Exports (2) | Total domestic use | Imports as a percentage of total domestic use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 6,965 | 11 | 4 | 6,973 | 0.2 |
| 1989 | 6,921 | 17 | 3 | 6,935 | 0.3 |
| 1990 | 6,927 | 21 | 3 | 6,945 | 0.3 |
| 1991 | 6,903 | 37 | 3 | 6,938 | 0.5 |
| 1992 | 6,980 | 67 | 3 | 7,044 | 1.0 |
| 1993 | 7,008 | 54 | 3 | 7,059 | 0.8 |
| 1994 | 6,966 | 68 | 4 | 7,029 | 1.0 |
| 1995 | 7,128 | 89 | 5 | 7,212 | 1.2 |
| 1996 | 7,041 | 68 | 5 | 7,104 | 1.0 |
| 1997 | 6,955 | 63 | 6 | 7,013 | 0.9 |
| 1998 | 6,942 | 56 | 10 | 6,988 | 0.8 |
(1) Production includes liquid drinking milk manufactured in the UK by dairy companies and farms for retail sale. It is not possible to identify separately the products for which imported raw milk is used by dairy companies. It is therefore possible that a small proportion of liquid drinking milk produced in the United Kingdom is manufactured from such imported raw milk.
(2) Overseas trade in liquid milk in immediate packings of a net content not exceeding two litres as shown in the Overseas Trade Statistics. Liquid milk in larger packings is excluded as such trade could be for manufacturing use rather than for retail sale.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Brady: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many parliamentary questions have been tabled to his Department for written answer on a named day since May 1997; and what percentage of them received a substantive reply on that day. [80726]
Mr. Morley: In the period from 1 of May 1997 to 31 March 1999, 1,884 parliamentary questions were tabled to this Department for written answer on a named day. Of these, 53 per cent. received a substantive reply on that day.
Genetically Modified Food
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to publish the paper requested by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Biotechnology from the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser on the human health implications of genetically-modified foods. [75419]
Dr. Jack Cunningham: I have been asked to reply.
The Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser have been asked to advise Ministers on the public health implications of the genetic modification of food. Their work will be conducted in accordance with the Government's Guidelines on "The Use of Scientific Advice in Policy Making", which sets out a framework for ensuring that Government policy is made on the basis of the best scientific advice. Advice from officials to Ministers is not normally published but the possibility of publication in this case will be considered when the advice has been received.
15 Apr 1999 : Column: 323
Departmental Property
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many overseas homes are owned by his Department; what proportion are occupied; and what plans he has to improve the quality of overseas service homes. [77450]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 18 March 1999]: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
No-fly Zones (Iraq)
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many times Iraqi aircraft have violated the no-fly zones (a) in the five years preceding Operation Desert Fox and (b) since the conclusion of Operation Desert Fox; [77229]
- (2) how many times allied aircraft have fired at Iraqi aircraft and installations in the no-fly zones when allied aircraft have been initially locked on by Iraqi forces (a) in the five years preceding Operation Desert Fox and (b) since the conclusion of Operation Desert Fox; [77230]
(3) how many times allied aircraft have fired at Iraqi aircraft and installations in the no-fly zones without being initially locked on by Iraqi forces (a) in the five years preceding Operation Desert Fox and (b) since the conclusion of Operation Desert Fox. [77231]
Mr. George Robertson: [holding answer 22 March 1999]: In the five years preceding Operation Desert Fox (16-19 December 1998), Iraqi aircraft violated the no-fly zones on over 80 occasions. RAF aircraft did not fire on any Iraqi aircraft or installations during this time. Since Operation Desert Fox there have been some 120 violations of the no-fly zones, in which Iraqi aircraft have frequently tried to lure our aircraft within range of surface-to-air missile traps.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |