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Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will publish his proposals for the future of the hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme. [96920]
Ms Quin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend for Waveney (Mr. Blizzard) on 29 October 1999, Official Report, column 1044.
Bovine TB
Mr. Paice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many (a) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food officials and (b) external contractors were engaged in the execution of the bovine TB study area trials under Professor Bourne on (i) 1 October 1998, (ii) 1 January 1999, (iii) 1 June 1999 and (iv) 1 October 1999. [96066]
Ms Quin [holding answer 1 November 1999]: The trials are being carried out by the Ministry's Wildlife Unit. Wildlife Unit staff numbers were (i) 74, (ii) 75, (iii) 80 and (iv) 126.
The numbers of external contractors were (i) none, (ii) one, (iii) two and (iv) three.
Mr. Win Griffiths:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on progress in developing a vaccine against TB for (a) cattle and (b) badgers. [96193]
Ms Quin:
The Government are funding expenditure of about £1.4 million a year on vaccine development. The main thrust of the programme in its first five-year phase is to identify vaccine candidates. The work is being carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the Institute of Animal Health, drawing on work carried out internationally and in related fields, such as human vaccines, as appropriate. Emerging findings will be published as and when appropriate. At this stage the main development work could apply equally to both a cattle or a badger vaccine.
Miss Geraldine Smith:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps the Government are taking to reform the CAP. [95759]
Ms Quin:
The Government pressed for a radical reform of the Common Agricultural Policy throughout the Agenda 2000 negotiations. While the final agreement reached at Berlin in March this year did not go as far as we would have liked, the reforms did achieve very significant changes, bringing closer the UK objective of securing a competitive and sustainable agricultural industry with a stronger market orientation.
We will pursue opportunities created by anticipated market pressures, the reviews contained within the Agenda 2000 agreement and the existing commitment to reform the sugar regime by 2001 to push for the reform process started at Berlin to be completed.
8 Nov 1999 : Column: 459
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to review the British Cattle Movement Service; and if he will make a statement. [95455]
Ms Quin:
The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) has been in operation for just over a year. A review of the current arrangements for administering it, and alternatives, would be premature. The BCMS has recently published a Standards of Service Statement against which its performance will be continually assessed.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on Government policy relating to consumer choice in the purchase of vitamin and mineral supplements. [95872]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 25 October 1999]: Consumers are currently able to choose from a wide variety of vitamin and mineral supplements sold under food law. The Government have no plans to limit access to supplements that are lawfully sold under food law unless this is necessary for the protection of public health.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from which countries the UK imports pig meat and pig meat products; what steps he has taken to ensure that the standards of welfare and traceability are comparable to those in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [95719]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 26 October 1999]: The major overseas suppliers of pigmeat and pigmeat products to the UK market are Denmark, the Netherlands, the Irish Republic, Germany and France. While we have no legal authority to impose British standards of welfare and traceability on those suppliers, my right hon. Friend the Minister will be meeting a number of retail groups to assess progress in their commitment given to him that all their own label fresh pork and certain processed products such as bacon would come from stall and tether and MBM free production systems.
Also, as part of the strategy to assist the pig production sector, a verification officer has been appointed. His remit is to work with industry bodies to identify cases where product is being sold at retail or catering level which misleads the consumer into believing it contains pork of British origin when in fact it is imported.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the BSE inquiry report will be completed; and if the report will be made public. [95666]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 26 October 1999]: My right hon. Friend the Minister announced on 25 May 1999, Official Report, columns 110-11, that the Inquiry had requested an extension of the time needed to complete their task and the Government had agreed that the Report
8 Nov 1999 : Column: 460
should be delivered by 31 March 2000. I expect the Report to be delivered on that date. It will subsequently be published.
Mr. Hilary Benn:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the total value of food products, imported into the United Kingdom in 1998 from countries outside the EU, which were produced to hygiene standards less stringent that those required of British farmers. [96265]
Ms Quin:
Imports of food products from third countries must meet the same, or equivalent, standards of hygiene as food products produced in the European Union.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what initiatives are being pursued by his Department to ensure that all EU member states implement the Community legislation on meat inspection to the same level. [96261]
Ms Quin:
It is for the European Commission to ensure that member states fully implement European legislation, including meat inspection legislation. However, where we receive evidence that other member states are failing to comply with Community obligations, we will of course pass such evidence on to the Commission for investigation. In this connection, we have passed copies of our own survey of meat inspection charges in other member states, and of the recently published Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) report on meat inspection charges and other enforcement costs to the Commission. In so doing, we have urged the Commission to carry out a thorough investigation of the way in which the EU Charges Directive has been implemented in other member states and of the level of inspection charges in each country. We are, in particular, pressing the Commission to investigate the allegations of subsidy in Italy and non-collection of charges in Spain outlined in the MLC report.
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to improve the labelling of produce containing (a) nuts and (b) nut oils. [96531]
Ms Quin:
We have been pressing the European Commission to bring forward proposals to change EC food labelling legislation to make the labelling of nuts and nut products, and other substances recognised as causing hypersensitivity, compulsory in all cases when their presence is intentional. We will continue to press for action, and hope to see positive developments on this towards the end of the year.
In the meantime, we will continue to encourage the voluntary provision of such information on food labels where this is appropriate.
8 Nov 1999 : Column: 461
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much Government funding was given to Shropshire farmers in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [96476]
Ms Quin:
Under the Common Agricultural Policy, a total of just over £43 million was paid to Shropshire farmers in 1997. This included both EU and nationally funded contributions. However, they will also have received a share of funding under market support measures, which benefit farming generally but which cannot be calculated at a county level.
Mrs. Shephard:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) on what date officials in his Department were informed that human and animal waste, and meat and bonemeal were being used in French animal feed; and if he will make a statement; [96016]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 28 October 1999]: A Reuters article, reported by several newspapers, alleging contamination of French animal feed with waste was seen by officials in my Department on 10 June 1999. Subsequent contact between the UK and the Commission was pursued by officials in the Joint Food Safety and Standards Group, the Department of Health and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. MAFF officials also contacted their French counterparts and received assurances on 15 June that these were isolated incidents and remedial action had been taken.
(2) on what date he was informed that human and animal waste, and meat and bonemeal were being used in French animal feed; and if he will make a statement. [96017]
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