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19 Apr 2004 : Column 128W—continued
Sellafield
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will place in the Library copies of the letters received since 1 January 2003 from the European Commission in respect of the application of Euratom Treaty Article 35 at Sellafield; [165156]
(2) if she will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Euratom verification visit to Sellafield on 8 to 12 March. [165157]
Mr. Morley: The UK's Permanent Representative to the European Union has received two letters from the European Commission since 1 January 2003 regarding the application of Article 35 Euratom at Sellafield. Copies have been placed in the Library. I shall also place in the Library the final report of the Commission on its Article 35 verification visit to Sellafield, as soon as this becomes available.
ACRE
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she has received from the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment regarding the environmental impact of growing Chardon LL maize under a bromoxynil management regime. [165373]
Mr. Morley: The advisory committee has not given any specific advice on the use of bromoxynil.
Agricultural Subsidies
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total amount of money paid in subsidies to farmers on Exmoor was in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [161882]
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Alun Michael: The following table represents the total amounts of subsidy money paid to farmers on Exmoor in 2001–02 and 2002–03. These are European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) financial years which run from 16 October to 15 October.
| EAGGF Year | Value (£) |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 3,568,470.50 |
| 2002–03 | 3,889,458.00 |
Air Quality Strategy
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Department of Transport on the implications of the Ten Year Transport Plan for the Government's air quality strategy; and if she will make a statement. [162957]
Margaret Beckett: Officials in my Department and the Department for Transport are in regular contacts on the implications of a range of transport policies including the Government Ten Year Plan for Transport, on the Government air quality strategy and the two Departments' shared Air Quality Public Service Agreement.
Animal Fodder
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much animal fodder has been imported into (a) the UK and (b) the EU from developing countries in each of the last three years for which information is available. [164222]
Alun Michael: The following table shows imports into the UK and the EU of animal feeding stuffs from developing countries (as defined by the World Bank website) for 2000–02.
There are also imports of cereals from developing countries. However, with the data available, it is impossible to say what proportion of the cereals are for human consumption or to be used as animal feeding stuffs. Imports of cereals are excluded from the table for that reason.
| Countries | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 1,778 | 1,932 | 1,862 |
| EU 15 | 21,750 | 24,199 | 25,019 |
UK data source: HM Customs and Excise
EU 15 data: Eurostat Comext Database, CD-Rom 2/2004 and 2/2003
Biodiversity
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to meet (a) the UK Biodiversity Action Plan targets and (b) the target adopted by EU Ministers in Gothenburg to halve biodiversity loss by 2010. [165067]
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Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 1 April 2004]: Work to meet the targets set for habitats and species as part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) is being undertaken at national, regional and local levels by a wide ranging partnership including Government, statutory agencies, conservation organisations and the private sector. Lead partners for the action plans will report on progress towards the targets in 2005.
In October 2002 the Government published "Working with the grain of nature": a biodiversity strategy for England 1 . The strategy aims to facilitate implementation of the UKBAP in England and to ensure that the implications for biodiversity as a whole are considered as an integral part of other key policies. It sets out a series of actions that will be undertaken by Government and their partners to make biodiversity a fundamental consideration in agriculture, water, woodlands, urban and the marine and coastal environment and in people's everyday lives.
Action undertaken as part of the strategy and the UKBAP will contribute to achieving the target adopted by EU Ministers to halt biodiversity loss by 2010. In addition, we have put in place a range of other biodiversity and sustainable development measures including our extensive network of protected sites and the development of agri-environment schemes. We have set challenging PSA targets to bring into favourable condition by 2010 95 per cent. of all nationally important wildlife sites; and to reverse the long term decline in the number of farmland birds by 2020.
1 The Biodiversity Strategy for England can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/ewd/biostrat/index.htm.
Biofuels Directive
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contribution her Department has made to the forthcoming Biofuels Directive consultation paper. [162958]
Margaret Beckett: The Department has had a number of discussions with the Department for Transport and other Departments about the consultation paper on the implementation of the Biofuels Directive.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Department for Transport on the development of a biofuels obligation for the transport sector. [162959]
Margaret Beckett: The Department has had a number of discussions with the Department for Transport about the development of a biofuels obligation for the transport sector. In the recent Budget Report, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed the Government to including this as one of the options in the consultation on the implementation of the Biofuels Directive in the UK.
Bovine TB
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what differences there are in the (a) epidemiological pattern and (b) success of control measures in respect of bovine TB in cattle between Scotland and England. [158340]
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Mr. Bradshaw: TB incidents in Scotland occur sporadically and tend to be geographically scattered across the country. They are generally associated with the introduction of infected cattle from Ireland or parts of England and Wales where TB is endemic. In contrast, most TB incidents in England occur in a number of traditional "TB hotspots" or endemic areas, thus showing a high degree of geographical clustering. Reactor numbers per incident and the proportion of confirmed incidents in Scotland are lower than in the endemic TB areas of England. This tends to make TB incidents in Scotland quicker to resolve by testing and removal of infected animals. Recurrent and chronic TB incidents are much more common in the endemically affected areas of England.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to integrate cattle health data into the British Cattle Movement Service database to assist in tracking the TB test status of cattle. [158667]
Mr. Bradshaw: This is an option being considered in the development of our delivery plan for the implementation of the short term measures proposed in the consultation document published on 9 February, "Preparing for a new GB strategy on bovine tuberculosis."
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to what factors she attributes the 20 per cent. annual increase in bovine TB. [158809]
Mr. Bradshaw: The 20 per cent. figure is the average annual increase in the number of TB reactors slaughtered for the period 1990 to 2001. The average number of herd breakdowns over the same period is 18 per cent.
In countries where there is no significant wildlife reservoir, cattle controls based on regular tuberculin testing, culling, movement restrictions (including tracing and contiguous testing) and slaughterhouse checks have been effective in controlling the disease. In many European Union countries, TB incidents in cattle herds are at a very low level.
In some parts of Great Britain, however, current cattle control measures are not proving effective in controlling the disease. It is not possible at present to quantify those elements of local disease spread that are due to wildlife as opposed to cattle spread, or to other factors.
The randomised badger culling trial, together with the related road traffic accident survey of badger carcases, and spoligotyping of Mycobacterium bovis strains, will provide further data on how the disease is spread. The TB99 epidemiological questionnaire has been designed to assess factors that might predispose herds to a TB breakdown, and their relative importance. The results of analyses of data collected up to 2002 should be published later this year.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the potential value of additional trade to the farming community if the United Kingdom regained its status as a TB-free area. [159056]
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Mr. Bradshaw: The United Kingdom has never held officially tuberculosis free (OFT) status, as defined in EU Directive 64/432/EEC, and no estimate has been made of the potential value to the farming community of additional trade if OFT status were to be achieved.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has sold beef carcases derived from animals purchased as a result of positive TB tests. [159293]
Mr. Bradshaw: Defra will sell any beef carcases that are passed fit for human consumption. Meat Hygiene Service officials will inspect all carcases and associated offals at licensed slaughterhouses, including reactor animals.
Carcases of TB reactors without visible lesions will be passed fit for human consumption, provided they otherwise meet the standard for post-mortem inspection.
In cases where there are localised lesions the officials will remove any TB affected organ or part of a carcase and the rest of the carcase will normally pass as fit for human consumption, unless another problem is found which makes it unfit.
Where TB lesions have been discovered in more than one organ or parts of the carcase, the whole carcase, offals and blood are rejected as being unfit for human consumption.
Cattle over 30 months old are not used for food.
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