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Farm Incomes
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the percentage change in average farm incomes since 1997 for (a) UK and English agriculture as a whole and (b) each agricultural sector in the UK and England. [136490]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 6 November 2000]: The information requested is published in Table 1.1 of "Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom 1998-99". This is available from the Library of the House or through the MAFF website.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures of farm income the Government recognises; and how these differ from one another. [136492]
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Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 6 November 2000]: The information is published in Appendix 3 of "Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom, 1998-99". This is available from the House of Commons Library or through the MAFF website.
Farmers
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers have left agriculture in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years broken down by month and year. [136717]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 6 November 2000]: Information on the number of farmers leaving farming is not available. The overall number of farmers, spouses, partners and directors is given in the table. However, these are net figures, which include farmers coming into as well as leaving agriculture. These figures are obtained from the June Census and therefore cannot be broken down by month. Figures for 2000 will be available on 9 January.
| Thousand | |
|---|---|
| Year | Number |
| 1989 | 375 |
| 1990 | 374 |
| 1991 | 371 |
| 1992 | 372 |
| 1993 | 376 |
| 1994 | 375 |
| 1995 | 371 |
| 1996 | 371 |
| 1997 | 368 |
| 1998 | 368 |
| 1999 | 361 |
Note:
In 1998 the June Census was redesigned. Therefore, figures from 1998 onwards are not comparable with those for earlier years.
Source:
June Agricultural and Horticultural Census
Annual Report (Error)
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, (1) pursuant to his answer of 23 October 2000, Official Report, column 100W, on what date he was informed that the report contained the error; [136741]
- (2) on what date the addendum slips were printed; [136742]
(3) on what date the website text was corrected; [136736]
(4) if a copy of the report with the appropriate addendum slips has been placed in the Library; [136735]
(5) on what date the publishers were asked to insert an addendum slip into the report. [136737]
Mr. Nick Brown: I was informed of the error, and of the steps taken to rectify it, in August.
The publishers were asked to insert an addendum slip on 16 August, and the website text was corrected on
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17 August. There was a delay, but the addendum slip has now been printed, and a copy of the report containing the slip has been placed in the House Library.
Animal Welfare
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the use of green box payments to farmers for the maintenance of animal welfare standards; and if he has plans to include such payments within the ERDP. [136722]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 6 November 2000]: In the Strategy for Agriculture announced earlier this year the Government pledged its support for farm animal welfare to be addressed in the World Trade Organisation negotiations on agriculture. Those negotiations have now begun and the European Commission has tabled a paper proposing discussion of various animal welfare options including the use of green box payments. At present it is too early to judge the likely outcome of such discussions.
BSE
Mr. Cox: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total cost of the BSE inquiry. [137365]
Mr. Nick Brown: The estimated cost of the BSE Inquiry to the public purse, including the cost of the Inquiry itself, and the liaison units, legal support for individuals and direct costs of witnesses who are serving civil servants in the main departments concerned, up to the date of reporting, is about £29 million.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the purchase of bovine material known to be infected with BSE for the purpose of research by non-Governmental bodies. [139631]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 21 November 2000]: My Department maintains an archive of BSE infected tissues which can be supplied to researchers on application provided they can fulfil some basic conditions relating to the use and the safe handling of the material. There is no charge for these tissues. If the consignment is unusually large the researchers may be asked to cover the transport costs.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent contacts there have been between his Department and Professor Stanley Prusiner regarding the prion theory of the origin of BSE. [139744]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 22 November 2000]: MAFF is currently funding Professor Prusiner to further his studies of TSEs. Professor Prusiner presented his recent findings and talked in detail about his theory for the origin of BSE to MAFF officials in September this year (2000).
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for the United Kingdom the
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research groups engaged in researching the origin, development and impact of BSE, and their level of Government funding. [139742]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 22 November 2000]: Research groups that have been funded this financial year (2000-01) to study the origin, development of the epidemic or impact of bovine BSE are:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Veterinary Laboratories Agency | 1,963,929 |
| Institute of Animal Health | 333,582 |
| Oxford University | 20,616 |
| Dr. W. V. S. Wijeratne | 71,039 |
| University of Edinburgh | 28,018 |
| Central Science Laboratory | 135,149 |
| King's College, London | 108,108 |
In my statement to the House following publication of the Phillips Inquiry I announced that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I would be commissioning an independent assessment of the origins of BSE which will be considered by SEAC. This will cover the scientific and epidemiological evidence presented to the Inquiry and other published and, where possible, emerging scientific work in the UK and elsewhere.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research the Government are funding concerning the prion theory of the origin of BSE. [139743]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 22 November 2000]: The research councils, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Centre (MRC) support basic research in this area. The research projects that they, and other funders of TSE research in the UK, are currently funding are listed on the MRC website: www:\mrc\ac\uk.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what restrictions his Department applies to access to BSE-injected material by independent researchers. [140194]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 27 November 2000]: MAFF funds the maintenance of an archive of tissues and body fluids collected from cattle naturally and experimentally infected with BSE. Requests from independent researchers are met, taking account of the availability of the sample requested, whether arrangements can be made to collect the sample if it is not already held, and whether there are competing demands for the same sample, in which case a judgment has to be made on the relative priorities of the respective requests. Independent researchers are asked to confirm that the material provided will only be used for BSE research, that they have laboratories of the required disease containment level for handling the BSE agent and that the material will not be made available to other workers or organisations without prior permission from MAFF.
Beef Exports
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the exports of British beef to other EU countries. [137028]
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Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 8 November 2000]: The quantity and destination of exports from the UK are commercially confidential as only two slaughterhouses are currently approved to export beef under the Data-based Export Scheme (DBES). In line with the Strategy for Agriculture and the improving BSE situation in the UK, we are continuing to press the Commission to make proposals to relax export controls, especially in Northern Ireland.
The European Commission's case against France in the European Court of Justice for failure to lift its ban on imports of British beef is nearing the end of the written part of the procedure.
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