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Animal By-Products Regulation

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to introduce secondary legislation to implement the European Animal By-Products Regulation. [114177]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 16 May 2003]: The regulation is directly applicable in the UK. The national implementing legislation which came into force on

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1 July does not repeat its provisions, but gives effect to the regulation by providing for offences, powers of entry, etc.

Because of the elections in Scotland and Wales the consultation on their implementing legislation was delayed. As yet it is not known exactly when the statutory instruments will be in place in the devolved areas, although I am advised that the Scottish Executive are working to a timetable of 1 October. We are working closely with the industry to ensure effective implementation.

Animal Welfare

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received about animal welfare with respect to compulsory ear tags in livestock. [124524]

Mr. Bradshaw: We have recently consulted the pig, sheep and goat industry on proposed changes to the identification rules. The sheep and goat industry has expressed concern about the European Commission proposal to double tag lambs before 1 month of age. The pig industry has also expressed some concern about the proposal to implement the EU requirement to identify pigs before they leave the holding on which they were born with an ear tag or tattoo. We are considering the responses from industry.

We take animal welfare issues very seriously when considering changes to livestock identification rules. It is important to use a suitable style and size of tag for the breed of animal and care needs to be taken on its application and to ensure that tags are applied by appropriately trained personnel in accordance with manufacturers instructions.

Athens Treaty

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the treaty signed at Athens permitting application to the European membership of states there named, if he will place in the Library written statements and related charts and maps showing (a) the current sea areas of national and community waters and those that would become so in the event of accession of all relevant application states, (b) those areas lost to current national control and (c) the principal ports and coastal zones where fisheries are of economic or social importance. [126424]

Mr. Bradshaw: I am not aware that any such charts or maps exist. A copy of the treaty signed in Athens was presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by Command of Her Majesty on 30 April as Command Paper 5805. It has been placed in the Library of the House. I can confirm that all acceding countries accepted the fisheries acquis, Article 17 of which gives rules on access to waters. No areas were lost from UK control. No information on point (c) in relation to the acceding member states is to hand, and to assemble it would entail unjustifiable expense.

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Beef Imports

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much beef has been imported in each of the last three years from Australia. [126235]

Mr. Bradshaw: The following table shows the UK imports of beef from Australia during the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.

	Thousand tonnes	£ million
2000	5.8	17.2
2001	5.7	15.6
2002	5.5	15.7

Note:

Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities and Food) Accounts and Trade, ESD, DEFRA.

Source:

HM Customs and Excise.

Bovine TB

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were slaughtered owing to bovine TB in each of the last 10 years; how many were subsequently found to be negative; and what the cost was to the Government of compensating farmers for the slaughter of cattle subsequently found to be negative in each year. [126335]

Mr. Bradshaw: Information on compensation is held only for overall expenditure, not in the form requested. The remaining information requested is shown in the following table:

Number of cattle slaughtered in GB under bovine TB control measures and compensation paid 1993–2002

	(a) Number of animals slaughtered under TB Control Measures (Reactors plus direct contacts)	(b) Cases where TB was not confirmed	(c) Total amount of compensation paid (£)
1993	2,455	1,650	2,081,436
1994	2,773	1,600	2,019,911
1995	2,896	1,600	1,988,820
1996	3,881	2,270	2,275,481
1997	3,760	2,160	2,386,029
1998	5,863	3,420	3,605,242
1999	6,772	3,760	5,770,983
2000	8,353	4,480	7,307,797
2001	6,258	3,820	7,074,125
2002	22,886	15,980	23,138,512

Note:

1. Columns (a) & (c) are compiled from data published in the Chief Veterinary Officer's annual reports on Animal Health.

2. Column (b) is compiled from data available from Defra's computer systems. Base data for 1993 and 1994 cannot be validated, and figures for all years cannot be reconciled with published data and have therefore been rounded. The figures show the number of cases where TB was not confirmed (rather than 'negative' cases). Post mortem examinations are less than 100% sensitive so failure to detect visible lesions or culture Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) from samples does not confirm the absence of infection or that the animal has not been exposed to M. bovis. The figures also include cases where culture results are still outstanding and where samples were not taken.

3. In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. Since testing resumed in 2002, resources have been concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests that would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high risk herds being tested post-FMD is greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, the numbers of TB reactors identified and slaughtered in 2001 and 2002 are not comparable with previous years.

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Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on the efficacy of skin tests for bovine TB; and what assessment she has made of the benefits of blood tests for bovine TB. [126336]

Mr. Bradshaw: The single intradermal comparative cervical test (SICCT) is the only skin test currently used in Great Britain for the detection of TB in cattle. This test and the less specific single intradermal test (SIT) were, until recently, the only TB tests officially recognised by the European Union for use in cattle. The skin tests, along with the application of disease control principles, have achieved TB eradication in many countries.

Last October, we begun a field evaluation of the gamma-interferon test, an in-vitro assay that measures the immune response to M. bovis of T-cells in cattle blood. This laboratory-based blood test was officially recognised by the EU in July 2002, but only for use as a supplement to the SICCT in TB affected herds. The test is considered more sensitive than the SICCT, but less specific, meaning that it results in a higher probability of false positives. For this reason, the gamma interferon test cannot be used as a screening test for TB for the time being.

Diagnostic tests are never 100 per cent. accurate and there is often a trade-off between sensitivity and specificity. Although the gamma interferon test is not sufficiently specific to replace the SICCT, the use of the two tests in parallel has the potential to significantly increase the detection of infected cattle in herds where TB has been confirmed.

I discussed the issue of TB diagnosis, particularly in relation to the progress of the gamma interferon trial, at a recent meeting with Professor Bourne, Chairman of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB.

Canada Geese

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences have been issued in respect of controlling Canada geese in each of the last five years. [126016]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and implements the EC Birds Directive in Great Britain. Under article 9(3) of the directive we are required to send a report to the Commission on the implementation of Article 9, undertaken through section 16 of the 1981 Act.

The figures for the last five years are as follows:

	Number
1998	74
1999	87
2000	90
2001	106
2002	157

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Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences in respect of controlling Canada geese have been issued to the British Airport Authority in the last five years. [126017]

Mr. Bradshaw: In the last five years the Department has issued a total of 58 licences specifically for air safety. This represents the total number of licences issued rather than those specifically issued to the British Airport Authority.

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