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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Combined Heat and Power

Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that the EU Emissions Trading Scheme benefits combined heat and power systems. [131970]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 14 October 2003]: The Government are aware of concerns that the EU Emissions Trading Scheme may act as a disincentive for the installation of combined heat and power (CHP) technologies. For this reason we are considering options for the treatment of CHP plants in the process of developing the National Allocation Plan.

The CHP industry believe that supplying operators in this situation with allowances for free from a limited CHP set-aside may act as an incentive. In this case operators installing new CHP plants would be provided with allowances equal to the difference in emissions between their existing or proposed traditional boiler and the proposed CHP plant. We are considering this and other options in the draft National Allocation Plan which we intend to publish for consultation in early December, giving industry an opportunity to comment on the various options.

Fuels Protocol

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to seek to amend the substitute Fuels Protocol; and if she will make a statement. [133105]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Environment Agency asked its Regional Environment Protection Advisory Committees (REPACS), in June, to consider the need for review of the Substitute Fuels Protocol and their views are being taken into account in the preparation of a formal consultation paper, which the Agency hopes to publish in November. Interested stakeholders will have three months from publication in which to respond to the consultation.

Animal Welfare

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many authorisations for export have been granted by the animal exports division for captive wild animals in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) breed and (b) destination; and if she will make a statement. [132443]

Mr. Bradshaw: The information is not available in the form requested. However according to our computer systems used for issuing export health certificates and CITES certificates, the following numbers of export certificates and permits have been issued during the last three years for categories of animals which exclude livestock, horses and pets.

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CITES certificates are issued under the "Washington" Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, more commonly known as CITES. The aim is to protect certain plants and animals by regulating and monitoring their international trade to prevent it reaching unsustainable levels.

Animal health

	To EU countries	To non-EU countries
2001	382	237
2002	504	283
2003	419	229

CITES

	Exports (non-EU)
2001	1,726
2002	1,324
2003	1,509

The records for these exports are not kept in a format which readily shows a breakdown by breed and destination. For CITES specimens the main exports are of falcons to Middle East destinations.

Beef

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable she has set for the resumption of unrestricted beef exports to the EU when BSE cases in the UK have fallen to below the moderate risk status threshold. [133858]

Mr. Bradshaw: It is not possible to give a precise date for any such relaxation of current beef export controls. We have submitted papers to the European Commission to support our case for lifting restrictions and these are now being considered by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). EFSA's opinion is expected in early 2004. In addition an inspection by the EU Food and Veterinary Office is likely to be required. We would then need agreement with other member states and changes to EU regulations. Export controls are therefore unlikely to change before mid 2004.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets have been set for the introduction of (a) beef from cattle born after August 1996 onto the UK market from 24 April 2004 and (b) moderate risk status beef onto the UK market before autumn 2004; and if she will make a statement on progress towards these targets. [133859]

Mr. Bradshaw: Ministers are currently considering Food Standard's Agency recommendations on changes to the Over Thirty Month rule. Beef from over thirty month cattle born after August 1996 will not therefore be allowed onto the UK market before April 2004.

We have worked closely with the Meat and Livestock Commission to examine how the domestic market can absorb the extra beef from cattle born after 1 August 1996 and the balanced view of the industry is that this can be achieved by import substitution and increases in processed product consumption. We are also pressing the commission to introduce market support arrangements should there be a short term need.

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With regards to moderate risk status, the commission has sought advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on amending the Date-based Export Scheme (DBES) for UK beef and our methodology of scaling up testing results to support our claim that export restrictions should be lifted so that the UK can trade on the same basis as other member states. An EFSA opinion is expected in early 2004.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with the United States Department of Agriculture on United Kingdom beef exports. [133982]

Mr. Bradshaw: We lobbied the United States Department of Agriculture in October 2002, in collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as part of a wider lobbying strategy of third countries to lift their bans on UK beef exports. Plans for further such lobbying are kept under continuing review in the light of developments with the associated EU rules.

Common Agricultural Policy

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has received from the horticultural industry over Common Agricultural Policy Reform. [134140]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 27 October 2003]: The department has received a number of representations from the horticulture industry in response to our consultation on the implementation options under the CAP reform agreement. Most of these representations have argued in favour of an area based approach in implementing the new Single Payment Scheme.

Dairy Farms

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates she has made of the (a) average net value and (b) average net profit of dairy farms in the (i) 12 months to March 2002 and (ii) 12 months to March 2003. [134378]

Mr. Bradshaw: Results from the Farm Business Survey published earlier this year show that the average net worth of full-time dairy farms in the year ending March 2002 to be £415,000. The average Occupiers Net Income for the same period was £22,200. The data for the year ending March 2003 will be published in March

2004.

Occupiers net income is defined as the return to the farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on all their capital invested in the business. This is the most appropriate income measure to compare with net worth.

EU Directives

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which EU directives relating to environmental matters would incur a financial penalty if the commitments were not met; and how much each fine would be, per annum. [133261]

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Mr. Bradshaw: Failure by any part of the UK to observe EU obligations may lead to enforcement action being taken by the European Commission in the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

If a member state fails to take the necessary measures to comply with the judgment of the European Court of Justice within the time limit specified, the member state may incur either a lump sum penalty or a daily penalty payment. The penalty payment would be based on a uniform flat rate amount, multiplied by two coefficients, one reflecting the seriousness of the infringement, and the other the duration. This would then be multiplied by a factor reflecting the ability of the member state to pay and the number of votes it has in Council.

Fallen Stock Scheme

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when details on the application of the National Fallen Stock Scheme will be announced; and what consultation there has been with farmers on the scheme. [133597]

Mr. Bradshaw: Rapid progress is now being made on the establishment of this Scheme. We have recently announced the names of the Directors who will sit on the Board of the company that will run the Scheme. These were selected by organisations representing the farming industry and cover regional and sectoral interests. They are now addressing key issues associated with Scheme rules. The Scheme administrators are developing the necessary computer software for recording farmer details and registration. If things go according to plan we hope that the Scheme will be up and running early in the New Year.

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