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Egg Labelling
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to improve the descriptions of eggs for sale in terms of the rearing system used. [97501]
Ms Quin [holding answer 9 November 1999]: EC Egg Marketing rules cover the use of 'Special Marketing Terms' for eggs for sale in terms of the rearing system used. The European Commission is due to review these terms following the adoption of the Directive on the Welfare of Laying Hens this summer. We await proposals from the Commission. Once negotiations begin we will be seeking to ensure the rules reflect the high welfare standards we have in the UK.
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will prohibit the description farm fresh eggs from being used to describe those originating from battery systems. [97502]
Ms Quin [holding answer 9 November 1999]: Under the EC Egg Marketing Regulations the term 'fresh' is reserved for eggs of Grade A quality, which is the highest standard of freshness and cleanliness laid down. It may be used to describe eggs produced under any system, including battery systems. The word 'farm' is not considered to be misleading, as nearly all eggs are produced on farms of one kind or another.
Florence Agreement (Export Ban)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the legal status of the Florence Agreement in respect of dairy calves of the export ban on live cattle. [98017]
Ms Quin:
The Florence Agreement is the conclusion of an informal Council of Minister meeting and, as such, has no legislative status. Nevertheless, the Agreement
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provides an important framework for the lifting of the export ban on a step by step basis. The lifting of the ban in respect of live cattle is foreseen as one of the stages of the Florence Agreement but it is too early to say when exports of live cattle might resume.
Mr. Livsey:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans his Department has to replace the current large MAFF-specified cattle ear tags with more durable, smaller, stronger tags containing a microchip. [97691]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 9 November 1999]: The specifications for the large distance readable cattle ear tags are laid down in EU legislation and there are no proposals to amend these requirements. We are aware that there is concern over the loss rates of plastic cattle ear tags experienced by some farmers and we are currently investigating the reasons for this.
A European Union funded programme of trials into the various forms of electronic identification for cattle and other livestock is currently underway. After these trials have been completed the European Commission is expected to propose an EU wide standard. In the meantime, farmers can voluntarily use electronic identification but this does not replace the requirement for the large distance readable tag.
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the Intervention Board performed against its targets for 1998-99. [98368]
Mr. Nick Brown:
The Intervention Board's performance against its key targets in 1998-99 was as follows:
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| Target | Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of claims processed within deadlines | 99.0 | 99.4 |
| Percentage of claims processed correctly | 98.5 | 98.9 |
| Cumulative running cost efficiency gains (percentage) | 2.5 | 5.3 |
| Improvement in index of productivity (percentage) | 4.0 | 5.9 |
| Ratio of disallowance to EAGGF funds handled (percentage) | 0.40 | 0.03 |
| To maintain expenditure within vote provision, cash and running cost limits | Achieved | |
| New value for money savings in procurement of goods and services (percentage) | 7.0 | 9.3 |
| Yield: cost ratio of anti-fraud activities | 3.0:1.0 | 2.9:1.0 |