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Departmental Staff
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of regional variations in staff turnover in her Department. [112758]
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Alun Michael: Data on DEFRA's staff turnover (including regional turnover) are regularly collated and reviewed. This and other relevant information is being used to help formulate the Department's pay and work force strategies, including our approach to regional pay and relocation.
DEFRA has offices at over 150 locations in England, Scotland and Wales, of which 43 are in London and the south east. The latest provisional figures covering the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, show that turnover for permanent and casual staff in the Department was 7.2 per cent. Turnover rates were highest at locations in the east of England, north west and west midlands.
Dogs
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the theft and illegal export of dogs from the United Kingdom to (a) Ireland and (b) other European countries. [112646]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 12 May 2003]: The Home Office advise that the theft of property, including dogs, is a crime under the Theft Act 1968 and punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
On the issue of exportation of dogs, there are currently no harmonised arrangements governing the movement of dogs between Member States of the European Union. Most European countries including Ireland require a health certificate issued by our Local Animal Health Divisional Offices. The certification will vary depending on the specific requirements of the individual Member State receiving the dog.
Dogs travelling from the UK without the required certification will be accepted back into the UK provided they are accompanied by an official declaration from the intended country of destination stating that the dogs have remained constantly under official supervision and have not come into contact with other animals.
GM Crops
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the need for (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation to implement any EU directive regarding the commercialisation of GM crops. [113771]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 19 May 2003]: Primary and secondary legislation fully implementing the UK's European Community obligations on GM products, including crops, is already in place.
The commercial use of GM crops is subject to Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms. Directive 2001/18 entered fully into force on 17 October 2002, replacing and improving upon the framework established by its predecessor, Directive 90/220/EEC.
In England, Scotland and Wales, the main primary legislation implementing Directive 2001/18 is Part VI of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In Northern Ireland, the Genetically Modified Organisms (Northern
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Ireland) Order 1991 provides similar powers. The relevant secondary legislation transposing the Directive is:
- in England, the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002 no.2443)
in Scotland, The Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 (SSI 2002 no.541)
in Wales, The Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Wales) Regulations 2002 (WSI 2002 no.3188)
in Northern Ireland, the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (no.167)
Mr. Meacher: The independent Steering Board, set up to manage the GM public debate at arms' length from Government, is responsible for the methods and measurements used to evaluate the outcome of the debate. The Steering Board will be submitting its report on the outcome of the debate to Government in September.
European Working Groups
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list measures under discussion in European Working Groups at which her Department provides the representative from Her Majesty's Government; and if she will make a statement. [112501]
Mr. Morley: The range of measures under discussion in European Council Working Groups at which Defra provides the lead UK representative are summarised as follows:
Issues relating to greenhouse gas emissions (including mechanism for monitoring emissions); co-generation (combined heat and power); quality of bathing water; regulation of detergents; animal health (controls of foot and mouth); residue levels of pesticides in products of plant and animal origin; issues related to drinking water; a range of issues related to the CFP; review of environmental reporting; infrastructure for spatial information in Europe; waste statistics; FAOs international treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture; Cartagena Protocol on biosafety to the convention on biological diversity; community comparative tests and trials for seeds and propagating material; waste electrical and electronic equipment directive; restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment directive; end of life vehicles directive and the packaging directive; bovine semen; staging points (animal health aspects); trade in live sheep; monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents; Control of salmonella and other specified food-borne zoonotic agents; organic production of agricultural products; work on surveying a sample of ground points and use of remote sensing/weather information to forecast crop harvests; proposal to modify milk statistics provided by Member States.
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In addition to these the Commission's proposal for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy has been discussed in a series of working groups this year at which the Department has provided the lead representative.
Fallen Stock
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects that the payment structure for the national collection scheme for the burying of fallen farm stock will be resolved; where the Government intend to dispose of such animals; and what powers there are to take action against farmers who leave fallen stock outside slaughterhouses in contravention of the regulations. [113256]
Mr. Morley: On 17 April we wrote to livestock farmers inviting them to express an interest in participating in a voluntary scheme based on subscription. This would be subsidised by Government digressively over a three year period.
The initial closing date for responses was 6 May but has been extended to 28 May to give time for more response. We will be looking closely at the number of responses and the type/size of holdings which have expressed an interest in the scheme in order to assess whether it is likely to be viable and how, if deemed viable, the payment structure would be laid down.
Assuming that the scheme is viable we anticipate that it will take a minimum of three months from the date when the decision is taken on whether to proceed to get the scheme operational.
Where a carcase is dumped on private land, wherever possible the owner of the animal will be identified and held responsible. However, if ownership cannot be proven, responsibility for disposal rests with the landowner. The local authority, usually Trading Standards, has powers under the statutory nuisance provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to deal with
- "accumulations or deposits which are prejudicial to health or a nuisance".
Where a carcase is dumped elsewhere, including on public land or highways, and ownership of the carcase cannot be ascertained, responsibility for disposal rests with the local authority.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the removal of fallen stock from farms (a) following European legislation and (b) in the event that hunting should be banned. [111646]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 7 May 2003]: New EU legislation, the Animal By-Products Regulation, applied in Member States from 1 May. Amongst other things the Regulation banned the routine on-farm burial and burning of animal carcases.
Currently the permitted disposal routes for fallen stock include rendering, incineration, or sending the carcases to an approved knackers yards, hunt kennels or maggot farm.
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The Regulation permits hunt kennels to continue collecting fallen stock. However, they will be required to upgrade to knackers yard standards if they wish to continue collecting fallen stock for the purposes of feeding to hounds.
We are aware that the ban on burial will increase the cost of disposing of fallen stock and have, since April 2002, been holding discussions with livestock and disposal industry stakeholders with the aim of developing operational arrangements and funding options for a national fallen stock disposal scheme.
A letter was sent out on 17 April to livestock farmers. This invites them to register an interest in participating in a subscription based scheme for the collection and disposal of fallen stock. This has the full backing of the Farming Unions.
The closing date for responses was 6 May. The future viability of the scheme will be dependent on the number of responses and the type/size of holdings which have expressed an interest in the scheme.
Assuming that the scheme is viable we anticipate that it will take a minimum of three months from the date when the decision is taken on whether to proceed to get the scheme operational.
A ban on hunting with hounds could have implications for the disposal and humane slaughter of fallen stock in some areas but by no means all. Those farmers who currently use the fallen stock service provided by hunts could be faced with additional costs if they use knackers yards or other off-farm disposal routes. However, there is a demand for this service. Most hunts already make a charge and there is no reason why such a service should not continue as a business opportunity should hunts be banned.
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether advice on the disposal of fallen stock was made available to farmers in Worcestershire before Easter; and if she will place a copy of the advice in the Library. [112658]
Mr. Morley: On 17 April we wrote to livestock farmers, including those in Worcestershire, regarding the new rules on the disposal of fallen stock. A copy of the fallen stock letter is available in the Library.
Information on the disposal of animal carcases is also available on the Defra website, at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/bv-prods/default.htm., and from local Defra Animal Health Offices.
Mr. Mackay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on how Miss Isobel Vaughan Morgan of Warren Crest Farm, Finchampstead, a constituent, can dispose of fallen stock prior to the introduction of a national collection scheme. [113490]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 15 May 2003]: Farmers will have to dispose of fallen stock in accordance with the Regulation, other than by burial or open burning. Currently the permitted disposal routes for fallen stock include rendering, incineration, or sending the carcases to approved knackers' yards, hunt kennels or maggot farms.
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If the right hon. Member's constituent does not know who provides this service in their area they can ring the Fallen Stock helpline on 0845 8507070 for advice.
Additional information on the disposal of animal carcases is also available on the Defra website, at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm., and from local Defra Animal Health Offices.
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