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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 1 December 2004

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bass

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the value of commercial fishing for bass in UK inshore waters. [200048]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 29 November 2004]: Data for the value of commercial fishing for bass in UK inshore waters are not available. However, the total value for landings of bass in 2003 by the UK commercial fleet wherever they fish was approximately £3.2 million.

GM Crops

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what GM crop applications are pending; when a decision on whether they may be added to the National Seeds List is expected; and if she will make a statement. [199440]

Mr. Morley: There are no current GM crop variety applications in the UK National List system.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to support the right of individual countries to implement national bans and safeguard measures in relation to GM crops and food at the 2001/18 Regulatory Committee on 29 November; and if she will make a statement. [200033]

Mr. Morley: Article 23 of Directive 2001/18 provides member states with the right to take safeguard action to restrict or prohibit the use and/or sale of a GMO in their territory if new or additional scientific information becomes available, after the date of consent, that indicates that the GMO constitutes a risk to human health or the environment.

Additional scientific evidence in support of the actions being discussed at Regulatory Committee on 29 November was provided by Greece and Austria earlier this year. The European Food Safety Authority has considered the information provided and concluded that there is no new, scientific evidence, in terms of risk to human health and the environment that would invalidate the original risk assessments. The Advisory Committee on Release to the Environment has also assessed the further information provided and agrees with the EFSA opinion. Defra officials will therefore be voting in support of the Commission Decisions requesting the countries concerned to repeal these measures.

Hazardous Waste Sites

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what directions
 
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she has given the Environment Agency with regard to monitoring sites dealing with hazardous waste; and if she will make a statement. [200089]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 29 November 2004]: None. The Environment Agency regulate hazardous waste landfills in accordance with the requirements of the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 and other relevant legislation. Other sites dealing with hazardous waste will be subject to the waste management licensing or pollution prevention control regimes.

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment was made of Wingmoor Farm, Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire when deciding which sites should be eligible to deal with hazardous waste; and if she will make a statement. [200090]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 29 November 2004]: The requirements for a hazardous waste landfill are set out in the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, as amended by the Landfill (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2004 and related Pollution Prevention and Control legislation. For those sites, such as Wingmoor Farm, that choose to be designated as hazardous waste landfills, operators had to apply to the Environment Agency for a permit that contained the operating conditions for the site. The agency had to then decide whether a permit should be issued and, if so, what operating conditions would be applied. The Environment Agency is unable to issue a permit unless the necessary planning permissions are in place. I understand that a permit has been issued for Wingmoor Farm.

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the safety implications of the transportation of hazardous waste. [200091]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 29 November 2004]: Hazardous waste is subject to the controls of the Special Waste Regulations and transport of dangerous goods legislation. Each movement is accompanied by a consignment note and tracked and recorded from the point of production to the place of disposal or recovery. The system is regulated by the Environment Agency and ensures that the waste is transported and dealt with appropriately in order to protect the environment and prevent harm to human health.

Pair Trawling

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to licence pair trawling in British inshore waters. [199823]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 29 November 2004]: As a result of Defra-funded research which identified a dolphin bycatch problem in the pelagic pair trawl fishery for bass, I announced my intention to prohibit this fishery within 12 miles of the south west coast of England. We are currently considering responses to a consultation exercise on the technical aspects of the
 
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closure before proceeding. Alongside this measure, I announced that I would introduce a licensing scheme elsewhere for UK vessels in this fishery which will be taken forward in the light of responses to the consultation exercise on the 12 mile prohibition.

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action is taken to enforce rules relating to pair trawling of British inshore waters by Spanish vessels. [199826]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 29 November 2004]: Under the Common Fisheries Policy, Spanish vessels do not have access rights to UK coastal waters. Any vessels breaching these rules would be liable to prosecution.

Peregrine Falcon

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the size of the peregrine falcon population in the UK; and what the size was (a) 10, (b) 20 and (c) 30 years ago. [199543]

Mr. Bradshaw: Surveys are carried out by BTO, RSPB and conservation agencies.

The most recent UK survey was carried out in 2002 with the number of breeding pairs estimated at 1,402.

(a) In 1991 the number of breeding pairs in the UK was estimated at 1,283.

(b) In 1981 the number of breeding pairs in the UK was estimated at 768.

(c) In 1971 the number of breeding pairs in the UK was estimated at 445.

Tuberculosis

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many positive reactor cattle subsequently proved to be free of tuberculosis in each of the last five years; how their carcase was subsequently disposed of; and how many of them entered the human food chain. [199572]

Mr. Bradshaw: Cattle which react to the tuberculin test are considered to be affected by bovine tuberculosis (TB), regardless of culture results. Bacteriological tests on samples taken from reactor animals are not carried out to validate the skin test results but to identify, for epidemiological purposes, the strain of "Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis)" responsible for the infection.

Carcases and their associated offal are inspected by the Meat Hygiene Service at slaughter and those with generalised infection are fully condemned and declared unfit for human consumption. Where localised TB lesions are found in more than one organ or area of a carcase the whole carcase is condemned. Carcases with lesions in a single organ or part of the carcase and associated lymph nodes are only passed fit for human consumption once the affected part of the carcase has been cut out and condemned. If no TB lesions are found the carcase is passed fit for human consumption. Any remaining "M. bovis" would be de-activated by thorough cooking.
 
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Once identified as unfit for human consumption, condemned carcases, or parts of carcases, are disposed of in accordance with the relevant Animal By-Products Regulations.

Information on meat condemned from carcases of TB reactor animals is not available in the format requested.

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