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28 Mar 2003 : Column 461W—continued
Animal Diseases
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the Animal By-Products Regulations with particular reference to (a) contiguous culls and (b) mass burials of livestock in (i) a future outbreak of foot and mouth disease and (ii) other infectious disease outbreaks. [103644]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 20 March 2003]: The Animal By-Products Regulation will permit the burial of livestock during outbreaks of a List A notifiable disease, such as foot and mouth, if there is a lack of capacity at rendering plants and incinerators or if transport of the carcases would spread disease.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to deal with a keeper of livestock who refuses to inform the authorities in the event of a possible diagnosis of animal disease. [104144]
Mr. Morley: A keeper of livestock who fails to report animals having or suspected of having a notifiable disease is liable to prosecution under animal health legislation. Prosecution action is for the local authorities, with whom we liaise.
Animal Movements
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the most recent change in allowing animal movements; and what effect she estimates the change has had on the risk of the spread of animal diseases. [104767]
Mr. Morley: The recent change—which reduced the standstill from 20 to six days for cattle, sheep and goats—took account of the emerging findings from the risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis of animal movement standstill. A report of those findings, and a supporting document explaining our decision to reduce the standstill, have been placed in the Library and published on the Defra website.
The emerging findings from the risk assessment indicated that in some circumstances a 20-day standstill would be more effective that a six-day standstill in limiting the size of an outbreak but that in the majority of scenarios the differential benefit between a six and a
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20-day standstill is relatively small. In cost benefit terms a six day standstill gave a positive net benefit in almost all of the scenarios studied. To counter-balance the increased risk created by the reduction in the standstill period to six days, we have removed most of the exemptions which applied when the 20-day standstill was the general rule and we are consulting on a number of proposals aimed at improving biosecurity and disease detection, for possible introduction later this year.
The second phase of the analysis is now under way and is due to report at the end of May. We will take account of the final reports—and any other new evidence—when deciding what rules should apply from 1 August and beyond.
Badgers (TB)
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department gives to farmers who find TB-infected badgers on their land; how farmers should dispose of the carcase of a badger which has died of TB; and if she will make a statement. [105246]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 27 March 2003]: It is unlikely that farmers would be able to tell whether badgers found on their land, either alive or dead, were suffering from, or had died of, bovine tuberculosis. At present there is no reliable live test to check for the disease in badgers. The presence of the bovine TB causative organism (M. bovis) is established by post-mortem examination and the bacteriological culture of samples.
Government are carrying out a badger culling trial in areas of the south and west of England to establish the role of badgers in transmission of bovine TB to cattle and to find out whether badger culling is an effective or sustainable control mechanism. There is insufficient evidence to sanction badger culling outside of the trial areas and this has been made clear to farmers. Defra has encouraged livestock producers to apply basic biosecurity measures to minimise contact between cattle and wildlife, for instance by raising feed and water troughs off the ground and securing farm buildings, particularly feed stores and cattle housing, against entry by wildlife.
In relation to carcase disposal, wild animals are currently exempt from the scope of the 1999 Animal By-Products Order. However, from 1 May 2003 the EU Animal By-Products Regulation will require wild animals suspected of being infected with diseases communicable to humans, such as bovine TB, to be disposed of at an approved plant using one of the following methods:
- 1. incineration;
2. rendering followed by incineration; or
3. pressure rendering followed by landfill.
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If farmers in the counties listed find a badger carcase on their land which has been killed in a road accident they can contact the survey co-ordinators, Central Science Laboratory (CSL), using a freephone number, to arrange collection. Precise details of the location of the carcase will need to be provided.
Cetacean Bycatch
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will raise the issue of cetacean bycatching at the next meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers; [104026]
- (2) if she will work with appropriate bodies to put in place new measures for the introduction of a strategy to reduce incidental bycatch in European waters by early 2005; and if she will make a statement; [104024]
(3) if she will work with appropriate bodies to maintain progress with implementation of existing proposals for international monitoring for cetacean bycatches in order to put in place a scheme by early 2004. [104025]
Mr. Morley: My noble Friend Lord Whitty raised the need for urgent action on the issue of cetacean bycatch at the January Council of Minister' meeting. In addition I have also raised this issue with Commissioner Fischler on a number of occasions both in writing and in personal contacts.
I recently launched a consultation document outlining a UK bycatch response strategy. This was developed by Defra in partnership with the Devolved Administrations and other appropriate bodies, and sets out the extent of our knowledge of bycatch in UK waters and makes proposals for action to address the bycatch problem. The document has been placed in the Library of the House.
I have also recently written to the Commission to press for urgent action to widen observer coverage off the south west coast where a number of other member
states' vessels fish. I was pleased that the Commission included a commitment to take action in this area in papers produced as part of the recent reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Commissioner Fischler has sent an encouraging reply sharing the UK's concern and agreeing a need to act at Community level but I will continue to press for concrete proposals for positive action in advance of 2004–05 in response to our recent approaches.
Carcase Collection Service
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the biosecurity risks associated with a national carcase collection service. [103762]
Mr. Morley: No formal assessment has been made of the biosecurity risks of a national carcase collection service. However, we would expect that only those collectors who follow agreed biosecurity procedures would be allowed to participate in such a scheme. Animal By-Products legislation already controls the collection, storage and transportation of animal by-products, including animal carcases, it also requires
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records to be kept of any consignment of animal by-products to assist in the auditing and traceability of this material.
Combined Heat and Power
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the initiatives undertaken by her Department since its inception to promote combined heat and power. [104552]
Mr. Morley: Since the inception of this Department, we have added to existing measures in support of our target of at least 10,000 megawatts of installed Good Quality CHP by 2010 as follows:
- Extension of the Climate Change Levy exemption to all Good Quality CHP electricity outputs;
Eligibility of leased assets for Enhanced Capital Allowances;
Reduction in VAT on certain grant-funded domestic micro-CHP installations to 5 per cent. and
The £50 million, 2-year, Community Energy grant programme.
- require significant evidence that power station consent applicants have considered all economically viable options for CHP and community heating;
emphasise the benefits of CHP and community heating whenever planning or sustainable development guidance is introduced or reviewed;
work with Ofgem to ensure a level playing field under NETA for smaller generators, including CHP;
set targets for use of CHP in the Government Estate;
explore incentivising CHP within any expansion of the domestic Energy Efficiency Commitment from 2005;
support field trials designed to evaluate the benefits of micro-CHP;
invite the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust to review their current and future programmes to ensure they reinforce delivery of our CHP target; and
work on a framework for pilot projects within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme for which CHP projects may be eligible.
Mr. Morley: Detailed consideration of a CHP Obligation has concluded that it would not provide carbon savings in a cost-effective way. We are aware of widespread industry support for such an obligation to help achieve our 2010 target of at least 10,000 megawatts of installed Good Quality CHP. Although we believe the target to be challenging we still believe it is within reach. Together with those measures already in place, the measures announced in the Energy White Paper will help reinforce its achievement.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the ability of the private sector to achieve the targets for combined heat and power contained in the Energy White Paper. [104556]
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Mr. Morley: Ministerial meetings with the CHP industry together with responses to last year's draft CHP Strategy consultation exercise provide a good insight into the ability of the private sector to help us achieve our target of at least 10,000 megawatts of installed Good Quality CHP by 2010. These meetings and the consultation responses formed an important input to the CHP measures in the Energy White Paper which, together with those measures already introduced, will help reinforce achievement of the CHP target.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on the Government's target to double the present capacity of CHP to 10,000MWe by 2010. [105286]
Mr. Morley: At the end of 2001, installed CHP capacity had risen to 4801 MWe from 4632MWe the previous year. More up to date data on the progress made to meet the Government's target of 10,000MWe of installed Good Quality CHP will become available when the annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) is published in July 2003 by DTI. We believe that the CHP support measures detailed in the draft CHP Strategy taken together with the measures recently announced in the Energy White Paper have the potential to significantly help the CHP industry and set us on course to meet the 2010 target.
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