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Deer (TB Testing)

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are in place for TB testing of farmed deer; and whether such testing is compulsory. [158288]

Mr. Bradshaw: There is no routine statutory TB testing programme for farmed deer. All TB testing of deer, apart from that for imported animals, is carried out at the owner's expense. Arrangements for testing are made between herd owners and their veterinary surgeons.

The Tuberculosis (Deer) Order 1989, as amended, makes TB in deer a notifiable disease. The owner or person in charge of deer is required to notify the presence of affected or suspected animals to the Divisional Veterinary Manager (DVM) of the State

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Veterinary Service. Under these circumstances the DVM may require testing of the deer, at the owner's expense.

GM Crops

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the recently reported deaths of 12 cattle in Hesse, Germany, in a dairy herd fed on GM fodder maize. [157753]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 1 March 2004]: I understand that the German authorities have investigated the incident thoroughly and concluded that the deaths, which occurred in 2001 and 2002, were unrelated to the use of GM maize Bt176 in the cows' feed.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the number of UK local authorities declaring themselves GM-free zones. [161725]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 16 March 2004]: We do not collate information on the number of local authorities who declare themselves GM-free zones. Under EU law it is not possible for Governments or local authorities to impose a blanket ban on the use of approved GM products, including the commercial cultivation of approved GM crops.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2004, Official Report, column 561W, on GM crops, what assessment she has made of the Monsanto GM virus-resistant sweet potatoes grown in Kenya. [161726]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 16 March 2004]: No assessment has been made on Monsanto GM virus-resistant sweet potatoes grown in Kenya. Assessments on crops grown in non-EU countries will only be made when an application is made to import the product into the EU. The Kenyan GM sweet potato is however one of the case studies covered in the report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

Livestock Movements

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated charge to be borne by farmers for pre- and post-movement testing is; and whether there will be an additional veterinary surgeon call-out fee. [158624]

Mr. Bradshaw: The proposal as set out in the consultation document Preparing for a new GB strategy on bovine TB' is for pre-movement testing of cattle moving from one and two year testing herds to other herds. The resource implications of this proposal will be estimated as part of the consultation process which will involve discussions with veterinary and farming interests.

The charge, and whether or not there is a call out fee, will depend upon the commercial negotiations between farmers and their veterinarians.

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Pesticides

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what other gaseous pesticides were (a) investigated and (b) declared inhumane following an investigation by Porton Down on the use of hydrogen cyanide to gas badgers. [157935]

Mr. Bradshaw: In 1980, at the suggestion of Lord Zuckermann, the Chemical Defence Establishment (CDE) at Porton Down was commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries (MAFF) to assess the acceptability of the use of Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) to control the badger population.

Records indicate that in 1982 the results from this research led to the agriculture Minister, Mr Walker, ordering a ban on the use of HCN to kill badgers. The details of the research were publicised in a MAFF Press Notice (No. 249) issued on 1 July 1982.

Subsequent to this announcement, records indicate that discussions between CDE and MAFF were undertaken concerning groups of potentially toxic compounds which could be of use in pest control. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any further research with gaseous pesticides was undertaken involving badgers, although some practical assessments involving non-gaseous methods were undertaken using other animals, including foxes.

This latter research on contingency plans in the event of rabies becoming established in the UK was undertaken for MAFF, between 1977 and 1981, and was designed to determine a replacement for strychnine in baited poison.

References:

1. The Toxicity of Hydrogen Cyanide by Inhalation to Ferrets and Badgers. Technical Report 15/123—this report was a Commercial-in-Confidence report for MAFF detailing research undertaken on a MAFF contract.

2. Compounds for Fox Control (Addendum to Interim Report of July 1977). Effectiveness of Atropine and P2 S in Protecting Rats and Rabbits Poisoned by T3327 (Carbamate) and T3415 (Phosphate). Commercial-in-Confidence. May 1978

3. The Development of a Humane and Effective Compound for the Control of Fox Populations. Commercial-in-Confidence, Contract Report PTA/15/52/81. July 1981.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the risk to public health posed by the use of pesticides; and if she will make a statement. [161103]

Alun Michael: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and other Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of subjects. It remains Defra's position that the current risk assessment process for pesticides provides robust safeguards for public health; a view that is endorsed by the independent scientists on the Advisory Committee on Pesticides. The Department of Health is a partner to the pesticides regulatory process, and has accepted the advice of the Advisory Committee on this issue.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the National Farmers'

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Union on the spraying of pesticides on crops which are situated close to residences or footpaths; and if she will make a statement. [161104]

Alun Michael: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with key stakeholders, including the NFU, on a wide range of subjects, as do all members of the ministerial team.

Ragwort

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Highways Agency about the control of ragwort; and if she will make a statement. [161106]

Alun Michael: Defra has regular contact with the Highways Agency about the control of Ragwort. I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency in September 2002 reminding the Agency of the need to take effective action to control ragwort growing on the verges of motorways and other trunk roads to prevent the risks to horses and other livestock from ragwort poisoning. More recently, the Highways Agency was consulted on the draft Code of Practice to prevent the spread of ragwort, which I launched at the Hickstead Horse Show in July last year and responded positively.

The Highways Agency will be among those consulted when the revised code is issued for formal public consultation as required by the Ragwort Control Act. Finally, following the changes that I made in the way that Defra investigates complaints about injurious weeds, my officials have been working with the Highways Agency to streamline the way complaints from the public are handled. As a result the Highways Agency has established a central telephone point for all complaints involving ragwort and other injurious weeds growing on the verges of motorways and other trunk roads. This number has been included in Defra Weeds Act guidance leaflet.

Rights of Way (Vehicle Access)

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she had with disability groups on access to the countryside prior to launching the consultation on the use of mechanically-propelled vehicles on rights of way. [161546]

Alun Michael: Last December I met a number of groups representing people with disabilities, under the banner Countryside For All, to discuss rights of way issues. We will look carefully at the responses from such groups to our consultation document.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she had with (a) the Home Office, (b) chief constables and (c) police authorities on the use of rights of way by mechanically-propelled vehicles prior to launching the consultation. [161547]

Alun Michael: The consultation paper was drafted with the assistance and agreement of the Home Office. I intend to meet the Association of Chief Police Officers shortly. We had lengthy discussions with the West

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Yorkshire police, who have particular expertise in off-road vehicular enforcement, before publishing the consultation paper.

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