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21 Jul 2005 : Column 1948W—continued

Beef

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the impact of Brazilian beef imports on the British beef industry. [12366]

 
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Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 18 July 2005]: The Department is aware of the level of imported beef and beef products from South America. We are also committed to facilitating enhanced competitiveness and sustainability in the UK beef industry through initiatives such as the Red Meat Industry Forum.

Birds (Imports)

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what restrictions to reduce the risk of disease apply to the importation of birds; and if she will make a statement. [13121]

Mr. Bradshaw: There are different requirements governing the import of birds from member states of the EU and import of birds from third countries. There are three categories of birds—poultry, captive birds and pet birds. The import requirements are laid down in EU legislation.

All poultry and captive birds imported into the EU from third countries must enter at designated border inspection posts where they are subject to veterinary inspections, All consignments are subject to documentary and identity checks. These checks ensure that the import conditions are met. Captive birds and poultry must undergo a period of quarantine. Pet birds from third countries do not have to enter through a border inspection post, but must serve a period of quarantine, This can be at the owner's house where they are inspected by a veterinary officer.

All imports from EU countries must be accompanied by agreed health certification. Poultry must originate from approved establishments and come from flocks which have been held in community establishments for 21 days prior to export. Poultry must have undergone health examination by an official or authorized veterinarian, Captive birds must come from a holding and an area not subject to disease. The rules for pet birds imported from other member states are the same as those from third countries.

If there is an outbreak of disease in an exporting country Defra takes appropriate emergency safeguard measures as allowed by Community legislation, This may include a ban on imports of animals and animal products from all, or parts, of that country.

The situation in affected countries is kept under review and controls on imports are modified in line with community decisions. Safeguard measures are currently in place to ban or restrict imports of animals, meat and other products of susceptible species in respect of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, including the territory of Hong Kong, North Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and South Africa.

Bovine TB

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms in England were under official movement or marketing restrictions at the height of the foot and mouth disease
 
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epidemic in 2001; and how many are under official movement or marketing restrictions because of bovine TB. [12365]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 18 July 2005]: The number of farms within infected areas and therefore subject to both movement and marketing restrictions in Great Britain at the height of the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 was 112,735. We are unable to give a breakdown for England separately.

Latest provisional statistics indicate that on the 18 July 2005, there were a total of 5,002 ¹ farm holdings under TB movement restrictions. 2,337 ¹ as a direct result of a TB incident and 2,665 ¹ under restrictions for other reasons. The majority of these are as a result of TB tests being overdue.

¹ Provisional data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service Vetnet TBiC system on 18 July 2005. Subject to change as more data become available.

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the incidence of bovine TB was in (a) North East Somerset, (b) South Gloucestershire and (c) the former county of Avon area in the last period for which figures are available. [12516]

Mr. Bradshaw: Disaggregated data for the geographic areas of North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the former county of Avon are not centrally held, and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. An aggregate figure for Avon" (which covers the former county of Avon, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset) is set out in the following table.

	Avon
1 January-31 December 2004:
Confirmed New Incidents as a percentage of tests on unrestricted herds	4.37

Note:
Provisional data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service Data Warehouse on 19 May 2005. Subject to change as more data become available.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the number of badgers that have been confirmed to have died due to infection with bovine tuberculosis in England and Wales, between 1975 and 2004 broken down by county; and if she will make a statement. [13032]

Mr. Bradshaw: The number of badgers that have been confirmed to have died due to infection with bovine tuberculosis in England and Wales has not been estimated by Defra or its agencies.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effect of bovine tuberculosis on badger population numbers in England and Wales in the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [13034]

Mr. Bradshaw: Reliable data on the causes of deaths in badgers and their effect on population numbers in England and Wales do not exist. In the only long term study, conducted by the Central Science Laboratory at
 
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a study site in Gloucestershire, mortality due to TB was estimated to be around 7 per cent. during the period 1978 to 1993. However, the study site is of limited size, and the result cannot be extrapolated to the rest of England and Wales.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the mortality rate of badgers in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [13035]

Mr. Bradshaw: Mortality rates of mammals can only be determined from long term, intensive studies. Only two such studies exist on badgers, both in southern England (Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire, and Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire). Mortality rates at these sites varies from year to year in relation to weather conditions and hence food availability. Cub mortality is thought to be relatively high, both pre-emergence from the sett, and also up to the end of the first year. At Woodchester Park, where TB status is also recorded for each animal trapped, the average mortality rates foruninfected adult animals were 30.4 per cent. for males and 23.6 per cent. for females. For the small proportion of animals which had a history of more than one positive test for TB, mortality was 66.7 per cent. and
 
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48.0 per cent. for males and females respectively. Overall at Woodchester, the average mortality is thought to be about 50 per cent.

It is important to note that these studies are in high density populations, and therefore cannot be extrapolated to the country as a whole. Mortality rates will be different from these in lower density locations. In a study of suburban badgers in Bristol, mortality rates were 40.3 per cent. for adult females, and 28.1 per cent. for adult males.

Other studies have estimated that approximately 50,000 badgers are killed on roads each year, making it the most important cause of death.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of bovine tuberculosis have been recorded in (a) the North West and (b) Chorley in the last three years. [13483]

Mr. Bradshaw: Statistics on bovine TB are aggregated according to the office structure of the State Veterinary Service (SVS). The North West is not currently a recognised region within the SVS structure. Data sets for the Carlisle and Preston Animal Health Offices are in the following table along with the data set for Cheshire. We are unable to provide figures for Chorley, as data disaggregated at this level are not held centrally.

	Total new herd TB incidents				Confirmed new TB incidents
	(3)2002	2003	2004	Total	(3)2002	2003	2004	Total
Carlisle	33	70	65	168	10	15	17	42
Cheshire	27	36	46	109	15	12	16	43
Preston	9	5	7	21	0	1	0	1

⁽³⁾In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. When testing resumed In 2002, resources were concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had e longer period In which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high risk herds tested immediately after the FMD outbreak was greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, data for 2002 is not comparable with other years.
Note:
All data downloaded on 19 May 2005 from SVS TB Data Warehouse. All data are provisional and subject to change as more data become available.

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to assist farmers whose farms are shut down because of identified cases of bovine TB; and if she will make a statement on the progress of the trials which her Department is undertaking into methods to tackle bovine TB. [13699]

Mr. Bradshaw: It is Government policy to pay 100 per cent. of market value, with no upper limit, for cattle that are compulsorily slaughtered under TB control measures.

We are sympathetic to farmers whose herds are currently under restrictions, but this is a necessary measure to tackle bovine TB. The Government are committed to finding the best way to combat this disease, backed by available scientific evidence and taking account of all interested parties, including farmers and the taxpayer.

The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB aims to reveal the outcome of the pro-active culling effect of the randomised badger culling trial to Ministers in spring 2006 and publish its final report, covering all its works and findings, in spring 2007. In the interim we are developing a model to assess a range of potential policy options, including wildlife controls.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent discovery of bovine TB in pigs in Bodmin, Cornwall. [13871]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are aware of a confirmed case of bovine TB in pigs on a Cornish farm. Tests are being carried out to establish the origin of the disease. However, cattle on the same farm have tested negative for bovine TB. Movement restrictions have been placed on the premises while the investigation continues. Although we have looked at possible sources of infection including unpasteurised cows' milk from another farm that has been fed to the pigs, and wildlife involvement, we do not yet have a definite origin.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the locations of sites selected for the bovine TB vaccination of badgers trial; whether the vaccine is the same as that used in the Irish trial; and if she will make a statement. [13931]

 
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Mr. Bradshaw: We are currently considering a number of potential locations in south west England. Once potential locations have been identified we will seek landowner permission to carry out the proposed trial.

We do not know which strain of Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) will be used in the Irish field trial. We are aware however that the Pasteur strain was used in their experimental studies. We intend to use the Danish strain of BCG for our trial. We chose the Danish strain because it is produced to a recognised quality assurance standard and the manufacturers are willing to release appropriate data in support of Defra's application to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to undertake the field trial.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will announce the results of the road traffic accident survey on the prevalence of tuberculosis in badgers. [13195]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 19 July 2005]: We anticipate releasing the 2002–04 road traffic accident (RTA) data, along with illustrative maps showing locations where badgers were picked up in the first week in August 2005, on the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB and Defra websites.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that animals from tuberculosis-infected areas are tested before being moved into non-infected areas, with particular reference to Yorkshire; what tests will take place; who will fund them; and if she will make a statement. [4869]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are considering a proposal for pre-movement testing in GB developed by a farmer-chaired stakeholder group. The group was asked to make recommendations on the basis that testing is paid for by the herd owner. The group delivered its report on 29 April, and published on DEFRA website on 1 June,

Government are now carefully considering the recommendations of the group, along with colleagues from Scotland and Wales, and will bring forward proposals to be introduced as early as possible.

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