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Fisheries

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress she has made in setting up regional fisheries advisory councils. [171136]

Mr. Bradshaw: A Council Decision to establish Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) is likely to be adopted later this month. This will provide basic principles and guidelines for setting up RACs, and should enable interested parties to take forward their proposals quickly. RACs are intended to be stakeholder bodies, not Government bodies, but we are working actively with interested organisations to help set up those RACs in which the UK has an interest.

RACs will be international organisations, developed and run by their members. Interested parties in the UK have been at the forefront of action, and with their partners in Europe they have made excellent progress towards developing proposals for RACs in the North Sea and in North Western Community Waters.

Flood Defences

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measures her Department has taken to protect against flooding in the Vale of York. [170009]

Mr. Morley: Decisions on which projects are promoted and their timing rests with the operating authorities.

Within the Vale of York constituency, the Environment Agency has recently improved protection at Boroughbridge and restored flood defences at Rawcliffe which were damaged following the floods in autumn 2000. They are also promoting a series of flood warning improvements in the region.

A number of long-term strategies looking at ways to reduce flood risks are being promoted by EA; included are studies on the rivers Ouse, Nidd and Ure.

Defra regional engineers are assisting Hambleton district council with studies into looking at options to reduce the flood risk from Cod Beck in Thirsk. If these studies should result in a project meeting our standard criteria, Defra will consider it for grant aid.

Finally, Rawcliffe IDB has looked into flood risks at Blue Beck and have introduced (in co-operation with York city council) a programme of maintenance to reduce the build up of debris at key installations.
 
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GM Soya

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the environmental impact of GM soya cultivation in the Colonia Loma Senes region of Argentina in order to inform her policy for the United Kingdom. [170167]

Mr. Morley: I am aware of various reports of the environmental benefits from the cultivation of GM soya and some reported disadvantages apparently due to mishandling of herbicides. However the Department has not made an assessment of GM soya cultivation in Argentina or elsewhere. Soya is not suitable for general cultivation in the UK and no application has been made to cultivate GM soya in the European Union.

GM Micro-organisms

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for   Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the potential impacts on the European fermentation industry of the decision to be taken in Europe about whether to include within the traceability and labelling regulations those products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms; and if she will make a statement; [170078]

(2) what discussions she has held with and what representations she has received from (a) the Food and   Drink Federation, (b) the European Federation of    European Food Additives and Food Enzymes Industries, (c) the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the European Union, (d) individual companies involved in the fermentation sector and (e) other stakeholders about the interpretation of the new traceability and labelling regulations in relation to products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms; [170079]

(3) what recent representations she has received about the forthcoming discussions with the European Commission and other member states about the interpretation of the new traceability and labelling regulations in relation to products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms; [170082]

(4) what her policy objectives are for the forthcoming discussions with the European Commission and other member states about the interpretation of the new traceability and labelling regulations in relation to products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms when those organisms are not contained in the final product; and what specific communication she (a) has had and (b) intends to have with other member states to secure those objectives. [170083]

Mr. Morley: The Secretary of State has not discussed the interpretation of the new traceability and labelling regulations in relation to products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms with stakeholders. However, last autumn officials from the Food Standards Agency and my Department held a series of stakeholder meetings with those interested in the new legislation, including industry bodies and associations, to discuss the implications and scope of both the Genetically Modified Food and Feed Regulation (EC) 1829/2003 and the Traceability and Labelling Regulation (EC) 1830/2003.
 
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At one of these meetings and subsequently, the food and feed industry raised specific concerns in relation to the labelling of products arising from a fermentation process using either genetically modified micro-organisms and/or genetically modified substrates. The UK and other member states raised this issue with the Commission who have undertaken to take forward a discussion at Standing Committee where the Food Standards Agency will seek clarification on the status of these products.

During negotiations on the content of the regulations at European level in 2001 my Department held a separate consultation on the content of the regulations, which provided an additional opportunity for stakeholders, including those in the fermentation industry, to raise issues and concerns.

The Commission produced a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) of the new Regulations prior to negotiations. Furthermore, following meetings with stakeholders last year and subsequent discussions with the European Commission to promote consistency of   interpretation across the European Union, my Department and the Food Standards Agency have recently launched a new public consultation on the domestic implementation of the new regulations. This includes draft guidance and draft Regulatory Impact Assessment. Final versions will be published once responses have been considered.

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects further substantive discussions to take place in Europe about the interpretation of the new Traceability and Labelling Regulations in relation to products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms; and by whom the United Kingdom will be represented in those discussions. [170084]

Mr. Morley: The Department expects that substantive discussions about the interpretation of the new Traceability and Labelling Regulations vis-a-vis products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms will take place in the relevant European Union Regulatory and Standing Committees. Officials from my Department and/or the Food Standards Agency will represent the UK at these meetings. A Standing Committee discussing general food law considered the issue on 30 April 2004. The Commission has suggested that a working group to discuss these issues concerning products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms in more detail should take place before the next Standing Committee in June. However, no date has been finalised as yet.

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she intends to make it her policy that discussions about the interpretation of the new Traceability and Labelling Regulations in relation to products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms should continue as part of the two-year review process for the Regulations. [170085]

Mr. Morley: The new Regulations contain specific review provisions, on which the Commission is tasked to report to the European Parliament and to the Council by respectively October and November 2005. The
 
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review report may cover any aspect of the Regulations, including in relation to products produced with genetically modified micro-organisms. The UK Government will play a full part in contributing to the Commission's review and will discuss UK stakeholders' concerns within the context of the Regulations' provisions where appropriate.

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