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30 Apr 2004 : Column 1343W—continued
Abattoirs
Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 16 March 2004, Official Report, column 156W, on abattoirs, how many individual case files there are in which are recorded the details of charges which are brought against abattoirs that were withdrawn before they come to court; and where they are kept. [166078]
Mr. Bradshaw: Details of all charges laid against abattoirs for meat hygiene and animal welfare offences are recorded on individual case files. There are 49 case files relating to prosecutions brought against abattoirs in 2002 and 2003. Details of any charges withdrawn before cases came to court are recorded on the individual files, which are either retained by the Food Standards Agency at their headquarters in London or held in storage in Derbyshire.
Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost was to the Department in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 of a charge successfully brought against an abattoir for breach of meat hygiene and animal welfare regulations. [166080]
Mr. Bradshaw: The average legal cost incurred by this Department and the Food Standards Agency in pursuit of a charge successfully brought against an abattoir for a breach of meat hygiene or animal welfare regulations was:
| Per charge (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 1,190.04 |
| 2003–04 | 975.79 |
Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost was to the Department in financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 of a charge brought against an abattoir for breach of the meat hygiene and animal welfare regulations but which it dropped before it came to court. [166091]
Mr. Bradshaw: The average legal cost incurred by both this Department and the Food Standards Agency in pursuit of charges brought against abattoirs for a breach of the meat hygiene or animal welfare regulations, which were dropped before coming to court was:
| Per charge (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 1,426.54 |
| 2003–04 | 390.26 |
Animal Welfare Bill
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce an Animal Welfare Bill. [166478]
Mr. Bradshaw:
The Department is proposing to introduce an Animal Welfare Bill that will update and consolidate legislation relating to the welfare of captive
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and domestic animals. The earliest the Bill could be introduced into Parliament is the session beginning November 2004.
Sea Bass
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her Department's policy to source sea bass used in catering outlets for which her Department is responsible from hand-line fishermen rather than pair trawlers. [167539]
Mr. Bradshaw: Defra supports the sourcing of sea bass from sustainable fisheries and handlining, as a relatively low impact method of fishing, can play a part in ensuring fisheries remain sustainable. However, the last report in 2003 by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas on sea bass advised that the level of exploitation of the stock at that time was sustainable and did not recommend closure of the offshore pair trawl fishery. There are currently no restrictions at a UK or Community level on the method of fishing that can be used to target bass. In addition, to address the dolphin bycatch problem associated with the pair trawl fishery, Defra-funded trials of a separate grid device to reduce dolphin bycatch are currently taking place, with the co-operation of the fishing industry.
In these circumstances, I do not believe that recommending a specific source of supply for bass could be justified at this stage.
Blue Tongue Virus
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risks of a blue tongue virus outbreak in the United Kingdom. [168949]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 27 April 2004]: Defra have prepared a technical review which describes the virus, its hosts and vectors, and a control strategy for the various scenarios whereby the bluetongue virus could be introduced to the United Kingdom. These documents can be found online at the Defra website at the following locations:
http://defraweb/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/bluetongue technical.PDF
http://defraweb/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/bluetongue control strategy.pdf
Whenever there is a serious disease outbreak in another country that could affect the UK via trade in animals and animal products, we prepare a risk assessment and post it on the Defra website The most recent one in respect of blue tongue was prepared in October last year following an outbreak of the disease in the Balearics.
Bovine TB
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what lessons can be learned in respect of UK TB control measures from the New Zealand experiences of possum clearance. [158291]
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Mr. Bradshaw: There are two main lessons to be learned from the New Zealand experience of possum clearance. Firstly, in a situation where a wild mammal acts as a maintenance host of TB, a successful eradication scheme must include a strategy to limit the infective contacts between the wildlife reservoir and cattle. This must be in addition to a programme of frequent tuberculin testing of cattle herds, removal of reactors, slaughterhouse surveillance and controls of cattle movements from infected herds. The second lesson is that this multi-pronged approach is an effort that must be maintained over time.
Cotswold Conservation Board
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out the (a) proposed role and (b) level of funding planned for the Cotswold Conservation Board; whether it will be liable for VAT; and if she will make a statement. [166895]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 states that the two purposes of a Conservation Board are:
(i) conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the area of outstanding natural beauty, and
(ii) increasing the understanding and enjoyment by the public of the special qualities of the area of outstanding natural beauty.
Additionally, a Conservation Board, while having regard to these purposes, should seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities within the area, but without incurring significant expenditure.
(b) If created, the Cotswolds AONB Conservation Board would receive Countryside Agency funding to meet 80 per cent. of its core costs. This compares to a 75 per cent. contribution in AONBs managed by local authorities, which can reclaim their VAT payments. The increased contribution is to offset the Boards not being able to reclaim their VAT payments.
EU Rural Development Regulation
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the new requirements which will be imposed by the 2007 EU Rural Development Regulation. [168036]
Alun Michael:
The European Commission is expected to publish legislative proposals on EU rural development spending later this year. The United Kingdom's position on the draft regulation will be developed in discussion with the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales, and with the Northern Ireland Administration, and following consultation with stakeholders. We hope to see a significant simplification in comparison with the current rural development regulation and a greater focus on rural development in general.
30 Apr 2004 : Column 1346W
Fisheries
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the lease of sea bed for fish farming. [167201]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government's policy on marine fish farming is to encourage the development of viable, competitive and sustainable fish farming enterprises providing this can be done within a framework which protects the health and welfare of farmed and wild stocks. Central to that policy is the sustainable use of the marine environment and the prosperity of the economies and communities in associated areas.
Policy responsibility on the lease of sea bed for fish farming is a matter for the Crown Estate.
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will request that the European Commission conduct as a matter of urgency a study to establish for each EU member state, under the provisions of the new Regulation concerning incidental catches of cetaceans in fisheries; and on the basis of current fishing data, the number of vessels that will be (a) required to use pingers and (b) required to carry observers; and what proportion of national fishing effort in relevant fleets will be exempt from each of the above requirements as a result of the exclusions of vessels (i) smaller than 12 metres, (ii) smaller than 15 metres and (iii) using pingers. [168241]
Mr. Bradshaw: The UK has been seeking Community action for some time to address the accidental deaths of dolphins and porpoises from fishing activity. I am pleased therefore that agreement was reached on a new Council Regulation to address this problem at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of Ministers Meeting on 22 and 23 March. The UK would have preferred the Regulation to have been stricter in certain areas but the agreed Regulation represented a package that was acceptable to the majority of member states, in the light of available scientific data. The review clause in the Regulation provides the opportunity to press for further action to refine and target measures at other sectors of the fleet if justified. In these circumstances, I do not believe a request at this stage to the Commission to conduct a further study in relation to cetacean bycatch would be justified or successful.
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of UK fishing effort in fisheries under the provisions of the new Regulation agreed at the Fisheries Council on 22 and 23 March will be exempt from the observer requirement on the basis of the exclusion of (a) vessels smaller than 15 metres and (b) vessels that are using pingers; [168242]
(2) how many UK fishing vessels will be required to use pingers in gillnet fisheries in areas IV and VII under the provisions of the new regulation agreed at the Fisheries Council on 22 and 23 March, on the basis of current fishing effort. [168244]
Mr. Bradshaw:
The Council Regulation laying down measures concerning the incidental catches of cetaceans in fisheries will require member states to design and
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implement monitoring schemes to observe bycatch on vessels of 15 metres or over. Such schemes need to provide representative data for bycatch in a range of fisheries. For vessels under 15 metres, members states need ot take steps to collect data on incidental catches by means of appropriate scientific studies or pilot projects. The Regulation is not expected to enter into force until 1 July 2004 and the start date for the monitoring requirements will be 1 January 2005. The UK monitoring scheme will be designed in the coming months and I am therefore not in a position at present to provide detailed data on the coverage or otherwise of the scheme.
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will (a) publish and (b) implement their Cetacean Bycatch Response Strategy. [168245]
Mr. Bradshaw: I shall be assessing the best way in which to take forward the UK Small Cetacean Bycatch Response Strategy in light of the agreement reached at the March meeting of the EC Agriculture and Fisheries Council to proposals for a new EC Regulation on bycatch.
Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many UK vessels were fishing in the pelagic trawl fishery in area VII for bass during (a) March and (b) April on the latest date for which figures are available; how many of these vessels are being monitored for cetacean bycatch by onboard observers; how many are engaged in trialling bycatch mitigation measures; and if she will introduce emergency restrictions on this fishery unless and until effective measures to prevent cetacean bycatch can be put in place. [168247]
Mr. Bradshaw: A maximum of seven pairs of UK vessels were in the pelagic trawl fishery in area VII fishing for bass in March and early April. This has since dropped to one pair of vessels. Defra-funded observers have been onboard two pairs of vessels to monitor bycatch and one pair of vessels has been engaged in trialling mitigation measures since December 2003 as part of Defra-funded research.
I do not rule out action to restrict this fishery but, given the involvement of other member states, Community action would be most effective means of addressing bycatch in this fishery. Consideration of emergency restrictions would be premature before this season's trials of mitigation measures have been completed and the results considered.
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