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Animal By-Products Regulations

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the Animal By-Products Regulation with regard to the burial of (a) domestic animals in pet cemeteries and (b) livestock in domestic locations. [102651]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 17 March 2003]: No specific assessment has been made of the burial of domestic animals in pet cemeteries and of livestock in domestic locations.

However, under a Derogation the Regulation permits the burial of any animal belonging to species normally nourished and kept, but not consumed, by humans for purposes other than farming.

The burial of livestock is not permitted.

Avian Influenza

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps farmers can take to improve biosecurity to prevent Avian Influenza. [102368]

Mr. Morley: In view of the current outbreak of Avian Influenza in the Netherlands, Defra is advising producers to take all reasonable precautions to prevent their flocks coming into contact with wild birds. The producers most at risk are those close to where wild birds congregate, such as surface water.

The poultry industry is being reminded of the need for stringent biosecurity at the present time. This includes advice on:

minimising the risk of introducing disease into their birds through faecal contamination of boots, clothing, equipment and food stores by the prudent use of disinfectants on clothing, footwear and vehicles;


ensuring that the number of staff with access to the birds is kept to a minimum and not allowing non-essential visitors in or near poultry houses;


clearing up external feed spillages quickly and preventing wild birds from gaining access to poultry areas and food.

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Such advice will be kept under review in the light of developments.

Biofuels

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role biofuels will play in Government plans to address fuel poverty. [100215]

Mr. Morley: During 2002, the Department commissioned a scoping study to consider the use of alternative technologies, including biofuels, in helping to tackle fuel poverty. The findings of that report, and the possibility of establishing pilot trials, are currently being considered by my Department and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Bushmeat

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what analysis her Department has made of the work of the CBD bushmeat working group. [101329]

Mr. Morley: A liaison group to be convened under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to consider inter alia non-timber forest products, including bushmeat, has yet to meet. Therefore, no analysis of this work has been made.

Chewing Gum

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to apply the principles of producer responsibility to those who manufacture and retail chewing gum; what contribution the manufacturers of chewing gum provide to the cost of cleaning up pavements and public places of discarded chewing gum; and what plans she has to apply the pollutor pays principle to the manufacturers of chewing gum. [102595]

Alun Michael: We encourage manufacturers and retailers to participate in a voluntary scheme to use the international Tidyman logo on products. The environmental charity, Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), which undertakes work on behalf of the Government, owns a logo which includes the Tidyman logo and draws up voluntary agreements with willing participants.

I am not aware of any gum manufacturers providing funding for the cost of cleaning gum from pavements but Defra officials have had meetings with the industry and I recently had a constructive meeting with Wrigley's, which is Britain's largest producer of chewing gum, to discuss these issues.

Defra's consultation document Living Places—Powers, Rights, Responsibilities, includes an option to include discarded chewing gum as litter to which existing litter duties and powers apply. This option would impact on anyone irresponsibly discarding chewing gum as they would then be committing a litter offence.

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Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the manufacturers of chewing gum regarding the public nuisance of their discarded product. [102596]

Alun Michael: Officials at Defra have been involved in discussions with gum manufacturers since last summer with a view to finding an acceptable solution to the problems surrounding chewing gum litter. Recently, I met Wrigley's, as the largest UK producer of chewing gum, to discuss this issue.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has commissioned to develop techniques for removing chewing gum from footpaths, pavements and other public places; and what steps her Department has taken to encourage effective methods of removing discarded chewing gum from footpaths, pavements and other public places. [102597]

Alun Michael: The environmental charity Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), which is grant funded by Defra, has produced advice and guidance on prevention and cleansing for local authorities under the banner "Become an Authority on Gum"

Defra's consultation document Living Places—Powers, Rights, Responsibilities, included several options relating to chewing gum. We are currently evaluating responses to that consultation exercise, which closed on 14 February, and will then consider how to take matters forward.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the local authority associations concerning chewing gum. [102599]

Alun Michael: Defra has not had specific discussions with the Local Government Association concerning the cleaning up of chewing gum. The environmental charity, Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), which is grant funded by Defra, has been working with gum manufacturers and local authorities over many years to develop best practice on prevention through education and cleansing affected areas. Our consultation document 'Living Places' refers to the problem of dealing with chewing gum and we are currently considering the responses from a variety of sources including local government.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost of cleaning chewing gum from pavements and other public areas in the last 12 months. [102600]

Alun Michael: We have made no estimates of the cost of chewing gum removal in the last 12 months.

Chickens/Eggs (Imports)

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) chickens and (b) eggs were imported from (i) Holland, (ii) Germany and (iii) Italy in the last year for which figures are available. [102370]

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Mr. Morley: 2002 is the latest year for which figures are available on the imports of chickens and eggs from Germany, Holland and Italy. The provisional figures are as follows:

Number of live chicks and chickens (of the species Gallus Domesticus) imported to the UK in 2002 (thousand head)

From	Number
Netherlands	92.6
Germany	1,236.6
Italy	nil

Number of eggs imported to the UK in 2002 (million dozen)⁽¹⁾

From	Number
Netherlands	22.4
Germany	14.3
Italy	0.2

⁽¹⁾ Estimates based on the value and volume of trade and the average weight per dozen eggs.

Dangerous Dogs Act

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs have been detained in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in 2003. [102917]

Mr. Morley: There are no centrally held records of dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in the UK. However, the Metropolitan police, who hold the largest number of dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended) currently hold 19.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost has been to public funds of dogs detained under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in 2003. [102918]

Mr. Morley: There are no centralised records of figures or costs of dogs held, by all police forces, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended). However, the Metropolitan police who hold the largest number of dogs under the 1991 Act, have informed us that the total cost within the Metropolitan police area of dogs currently held in 2003 under the 1991 Act is £63,937.

Dolphins

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dolphin bodies have been washed up on UK beaches (a) since the beginning of January and (b) in the last five years. [102760]

Mr. Morley: Since the beginning of January to 12 March 2003, 168 dolphins (out of a total of 265 cetaceans) have been reported as having stranded in the UK. In the last five years, the numbers of reported stranded dolphins are as follows:

	Dolphins	Total number of cetaceans
2002	199	649
2001	155	549
2000	88	421
1999	57	386
1998	59	369

It should be noted that these figures include stranded, dead cetaceans, live strandings, carcases seen floating at sea, reported cetacean bycatch and cases of unconfirmed or suspected cetacean bycatch. The data was obtained under the Defra-funded Cetacean and Turtle Strandings Scheme, carried out by the Natural History Museum in partnership with the Institute of Zoology and Scottish Agricultural College.

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