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Foot and Mouth Disease: Compensation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to compensate lowland livestock farmers for losses incurred as a result of restrictions introduced in respect of the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease. [166481]

Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 20 November2007]: We are acutely aware of the difficulties facing the industry at this time. Compensation is paid at the market value for animals and goods, which are seized and destroyed for disease control purposes. However, it is a long established principle that the Government do not meet the costs of consequential losses, which must be borne instead by the industry.

To help the industry at this difficult time, we announced on 8 October a package of assistance worth £12.5 million. This is to support those livestock farmers most severely affected by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD), including those in the restriction areas and hill farmers. Support has also been included for meat promotion and farming charities, and this will benefit all farmers. The process of implementing the support package is well under way and some elements have almost been completed.

The most effective and sustainable way to improve the position for farmers is a speedy resumption of exports. A new European Commission Decision this week will allow much of Britain to start exporting meat again under normal community rules, and with appropriate certification. We are doing all we can to obtain FMD free status at the earliest possible date in January.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Cumbria

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims in Cumbria arising from the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak were settled in each year from 2001 to 2007; and how many are outstanding. [165503]


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Jonathan Shaw: The numbers of claims brought in Cumbria following the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak, which were settled either in court or by an out of court settlement, are as follows:

Establishing the number of claims that were settled each year from 2001 to 2007 could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

There are still three outstanding claims in Cumbria. In each case, negotiations between DEFRA and the claimants are ongoing and matters currently rest with the claimants.

In addition, there are four farmers who have not yet submitted a formal claim for damage to their properties during 2001.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Disease Control

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely timetable for each measure put in place to control (a) foot and mouth disease and (b) bluetongue. [162224]

Jonathan Shaw: For foot and mouth disease (FMD), the FMD Surveillance Zone was lifted on 5 November. On 6 November the EU agreed to relax the current FMD export restrictions on meat and meat products. On 19 November the FMD Restricted Zone was lifted.

The EU decision has split the UK into the following three areas:

A map detailing these areas is available on the DEFRA website and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

The FMD Restricted Zone was lifted when the new EU Decision came into force on 19 November. If no further amendments are made to the EU decision, the provisions on meat and meat products are expected to apply until mid December, and those on live animals until the end of the year.

A further surveillance programme of sample herds and flocks is to be carried out to confirm disease freedom with the European Commission. Subject to the satisfactory outcome of this surveillance, restoration of international disease freedom under OIE criteria could be considered at the earliest in January 2008.

For bluetongue, the timetable will be dependent on developments in the disease situation. OIE guidelines state that, following confirmation of bluetongue disease, a surveillance programme has to demonstrate no evidence of Bluetongue circulating in the country or zone over the course of two years before restrictions
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can be lifted. However, there is limited scope within EU legislation to amend the size of zones in this period.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government have put in place a revised national contingency plan following the recent foot and mouth outbreak. [166735]

Jonathan Shaw: The national contingency plan is published and laid before Parliament annually. It was last laid in December 2006. The next plan will reflect the results of a consultation exercise which concluded on 11 October 2007, and lessons learned from the recent foot and mouth disease outbreak. At present, we plan to lay it before Parliament in December.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Finance

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his latest estimate is of the cost of the foot and mouth outbreak to the (a) public purse and (b) agriculture industry. [164394]

Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA’s current estimate of the economic cost to the UK livestock sector of movement restrictions and controls on exports, imposed as a result of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and bluetongue, is over £100 million.

As at 12 October, the total forecast cost of the FMD and bluetongue outbreaks to DEFRA and its agencies was approximately £47 million.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average fee was for administration of a warm front voucher in the latest period for which figures are available; how the fee was calculated; which organisation receives the fee revenues; and if he will make a statement. [168237]

Mr. Woolas: Fees for administrating the £300 voucher scheme are paid to eaga plc, which successfully won the contract to manage the Warm Front scheme following a competitive tendering exercise. The fees were set following a proposal put forward by eaga, which was scrutinised by DEFRA procurement officials to ensure value for money was obtained. For reasons of commercial sensitivity, we are unable to provide specific details on the value of these management fees.

Inland Waterways

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work his Department has undertaken with the National Audit Office to respond to recommendation four of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's report on British Waterways; and when he expects to make that response. [167868]

Jonathan Shaw: The National Audit Office has been in close contact with British Waterways about the information required and plans to finalise a response to
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the Committee's request next week. This Department has been kept up-to-date with progress.

Ivory

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2007, Official Report, column 245, on ivory, what plans his Department has to undertake research to identify the scale and nature of ivory trade within the UK to inform the EU’s response to the ivory trade questionnaire issued by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. [167723]

Joan Ruddock: The nature of many of the questions will require EU countries to provide relatively simple data about the import and export of ivory. The draft EU response will be discussed at the next EU Management Committee on trade in wild fauna and flora on 14 December in Brussels. Once we have seen the draft we will provide additional information as necessary.

Landfill

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reasons are for his Department's participation in the Environmental Permitting Programme; and what assessment he has made of the programme's effect on landfill sites and former landfill sites. [168173]

Joan Ruddock: The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 were laid in Parliament in October 2007. They provide an opportunity to reduce administrative burdens on business and regulators by replacing the existing waste management licensing and pollution prevention and control (PPC) systems with a single, simple, radically streamlined environmental permitting and compliance system for England and Wales. The regulations will maintain existing levels of protection of the environment and human health for waste management licensed and PPC permitted sites, including landfill sites and former landfills which have licences or permits.

I refer my hon. Friend to the regulatory impact assessment that accompanies the regulations and which is published on our website.

Livestock: Diseases

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on contagious diseases affecting livestock; and if he will make a statement. [167069]

Jonathan Shaw: The Government are working closely with the devolved administrations to co-ordinate the disease control response. Officials in the Northern Ireland Executive are actively involved in policy decisions for foot and mouth disease (FMD), bluetongue and now avian influenza, and in reviewing the disease control strategies.


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Marine and Fisheries Agency: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funds he plans to allocate to the Marine and Fisheries Agency in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [167638]

Jonathan Shaw: As an Executive Agency of DEFRA, the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) participates in our business planning and budgeting process. These are currently in hand for the period covered by the recent comprehensive spending review (CSR07), namely 2008-09 to 2010-11. The allocations for the MFA have therefore not yet been finalised.

Meat: Exports

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which regions of the UK it has become possible to export meat products again following the lifting of the foot and mouth disease ban. [162022]

Jonathan Shaw: On 6 November the European Union (EU) agreed to relax the current foot and mouth disease (FMD) export restrictions on meat and meat products. On 19 November the FMD Restricted Zone was lifted and the new EU Decision came into force. If no further amendments are made to the EU Decision, the provisions on meat and meat products are expected to apply until mid December. The Decision has split the UK into three areas for the purposes of EU trade in meat and meat products:


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Further information, including a map of the FMD Restricted Zone and the restrictions that apply, can be found on the DEFRA website. A further map, which highlights the three different export areas is also available.

Milk: Prices

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on recent trends in farm-gate milk prices. [167854]

Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 26 November 2007]: Farm gate prices are at their highest levels since 1996. Concerns about animal disease notwithstanding, the situation in the dairy sector is considerably more positive than it has been for some time.

While commodity prices appear to have peaked and there is likely to be a consequential effect on farm gate prices in due course, given increasing demand for dairy products, prices are not expected to fall to earlier levels at least in the short to medium term.

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