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28 Mar 2003 : Column 457W—continued
Fisheries
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the contribution of recreational sea angling to the UK economy. [104017]
Mr. Morley: We do not currently have estimates of the contribution of sea angling to the UK economy. For this reason, we are in the process of commissioning a study entitled 'Research into the Economic Contribution of Sea Angling1. This project is at the tender stage at present, and is expected to report early in 2004.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Scottish-based trawlers targeting whitefish have been recorded as fishing in the statistical rectangle 39E4 in the past three months. [103944]
Mr. Morley: 44 Scottish based fishing vessels were recorded as targeting whitefish in rectangle 39E4 between 1 December 2002 and 28 February 2003. Of
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these, 33 were trawlers of an overall length greater than 10 metres. The remaining 11 were small-scale coastal vessels of a length of 10 metres and below.
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the implications of reform of the Common Fisheries Policy for recreational sea angling. [104013]
Mr. Morley: The UK pressed strongly throughout the reform negotiations for increased emphasis on stakeholder involvement in decisions on fisheries management. This was reflected in the agreement at the Council to set up Regional Advisory Councils to provide a voice for the fishing industry and other stakeholders—such as recreational sea anglers—in decisions on fisheries management.
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account she has taken of the interests of sea anglers in discussions of reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. [104014]
Mr. Morley: The Government recognise sea anglers as stakeholders in the management of fish stocks and as such they were consulted fully on the Commission's proposals for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Mr. David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent to which other EU member states have exempted parts of their countries from the ban on the on-farm burial of fallen stock. [103763]
Margaret Beckett: No such assessment has been made. It is for individual Member States to inform the Commission of the areas that they wish to categorise as being remote for the purposes of applying for a derogation to permit on-farm burial.
Agriculture
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the contribution of agriculture to the national GDP was in each of the past 10 years (a) in total, (b) by region, and (c) by farm type. [104910]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 25 March 2003]: The information is currently available only at the total level; this is given in the following table:
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 1.6 |
| 1994 | 1.5 |
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1997 | 1 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 (provisional) | 0 |
(b) Regional gross value added estimates were withdrawn by the Office for National Statistics in December 2002 following the discovery of errors in the Annual Business Inquiry data. Revised estimates are due to be released later in the spring.
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(c) The information is not available by farm type.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of food products, in real market value, were (a) exported from and (b) imported to the UK in each of the past 10 years. [104912]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 25 March 2003]: The following table shows the value of UK trade (exports/imports) of food, feed and drink products, in real market value (at 2002 prices) for 1993 to 2002.
| Exports | Imports | Trade Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 10.2 | 17.2 | -7.0 |
| 1994 | 11.1 | 18.1 | -7.1 |
| 1995 | 11.9 | 19.3 | -7.4 |
| 1996 | 11.6 | 20.5 | -8.9 |
| 1997 | 11.2 | 19.3 | -8.1 |
| 1998 | 10.0 | 18.4 | -8.5 |
| 1999 | 9.5 | 18.3 | -8.9 |
| 2000 | 9.0 | 17.4 | -8.4 |
| 2001 | 8.6 | 18.3 | -9.7 |
| 2002 | 8.8 | 18.7 | -9.9 |
Note:
2002 data are provisional and subject to amendment.
Source:
HM Customs and Excise Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities and Food) Accounts and Trade, ESD, DEFRA
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Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of cattle and sheep products consumed in the UK was produced domestically in each of the past 10 years. [104911]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 25 March 2003]: Data relating to the national origin of the actual products consumed is not available. However, it is possible to calculate the UK production as percentage of the total new supply for use in the UK (home production plus imports less exports). This will, naturally, result in figures being greater than 100 per cent. for those products where UK production exceeds home consumption.
Data are provided in the following table for cattle and sheep products for the 10-year period 1993 to 2002.
| Beef and Veal | Muttonand Lamb | Liquid milk | Butter | Cheese | Cream | Condensed milk | Skimmed milk powder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 100 | 116 | 100 | 71 | 72 | 136 | 127 | 148 |
| 1994 | 112 | 111 | 100 | 69 | 69 | 142 | 125 | 152 |
| 1995 | 114 | 110 | 100 | 69 | 70 | 136 | 141 | 157 |
| 1996 | 89 | 102 | 100 | 68 | 68 | 147 | 130 | 107 |
| 1997 | 77 | 97 | 100 | 79 | 67 | 144 | 130 | 141 |
| 1998 | 83 | 101 | 100 | 78 | 64 | 151 | 136 | 127 |
| 1999 | 80 | 104 | 100 | 71 | 63 | 146 | 127 | 180 |
| 2000 | 79 | 100 | 100 | 64 | 63 | 137 | 111 | -527 |
| 2001 | 72 | 78 | 100 | 63 | 66 | 134 | 105 | 111 |
| 2002 | 72 | 84 | 100 | 69 | 68 | 148 | 114 | 117 |
Note:
Consumption includes products placed in store and therefore products released from the store count as negative consumption. The exceptional figure shown for Skimmed Milk Powder in 2000 resulted from high levels of stocks moving out of intervention for export.
Agriculture and Fisheries Council
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held on 17 and 18 March; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement. [104558]
Margaret Beckett: My noble Friend, Lord Whitty, Under-Secretary, represented the United Kingdom at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels on 17 and 18 March 2003. Ministers with agriculture and fisheries responsibilities in Scotland and Wales were also present.
The Council continued its consideration of CAP reform, addressing questions from the Presidency on the proposals for cereals, milk and rice and for rural development. The UK argued for bringing the EU closer to world market conditions; supported the lines of the Commission proposals for reducing support; but argued against the proposed extension of dairy quotas to 2015. On rural development, the UK argued for a redistribution of modulated funds that would be fair and forward looking; we reiterated the case for flat rate modulation of direct payments and urged the Commission to look for ways of increasing the funds available for rural development programmes.
The Commission updated the Council on the agriculture negotiations in the World Trade Organisation, noting that a second draft of the so-called Modalities paper was expected later in the week and that the EU remained ready to negotiate with trading partners. There was no discussion.
The Council reached a compromise on phasing out the use of the pesticide Aldicarb, permitting some specific uses in certain member states, including the UK, to continue until the end of 2007. The UK supported the proposal.
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There were no substantive fisheries items on the agenda.
Under AoB, the Netherlands reported on its efforts to contain an outbreak of avian influenza. Portugal reported the discovery of certain illegal veterinary medicine residues in poultry. France reported on an initiative proposed by the President of France to improve agricultural trade relations between the EU and sub-Saharan Africa. France also drew attention to the impact of rising fuel prices on the fisheries sector.
In reply to Denmark, the Commission said that it would shortly propose amendment of the interim cod recovery programme agreed in December in respect of the definition of 'days at sea'. The definitive cod and hake recovery measures proposal would however be delayed, possibly until May.
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