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14 Oct 2009 : Column 944W—continued
It should be noted that imports of certain meats from many of these countries are not permitted. The following provides details of these import restrictions:
| Country | Import restrictions |
Where imports are not permitted we believe that any imports recorded in the Overseas Trade Statistics represent consignments which have been exported from GB, rejected and returned or goods where the incorrect customs code have been entered.
There was no recorded trade in meat and meat products during this period for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Russia or West Bank/Gaza Strip. West Bank/Gaza Strip is the recognised designation for the Palestinian region used by HMRC.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 23 June 2009, on carbon emissions and climate change. [292906]
Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
I replied to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 6 August, and apologise for the delay in response.
Milk: Overseas Trade
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) liquid milk and (b) milk powder was (i) imported and (ii) exported in each of the last three years. [291911]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Imports and exports of liquid milk and milk powder are shown in the following tables.
Liquid milk is imported into and exported from the UK in two forms, as raw milk for processing by dairies (Table 1), or as liquid drinking milk (e.g. pasteurised or UHT milk) (Table 2).
Raw milk is only traded across the Irish border, that is raw milk imports come from the Republic of Ireland for processing by dairies in Northern Ireland, and vice versa.
| Table 1: UK imports and exports of raw milk for processing (all trade across the Irish Border) | |||
| Million litres | |||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Source: DARDNI. | |||
| Table 2 : UK imports and exports o f liquid drinking milk in 2006 to 2008 | |||
| Million litres | |||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Table 3 : UK imports and exports of milk powder in 2006 to 2008 | |||
| Tonnes | |||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Source: HM Revenue and Customs. | |||
Milk: Prices
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price per litre paid to (a) farmers, (b) purchasers and (c) supermarkets for milk was in each year since 1997. [291926]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following tables show annual UK farmgate and retail milk prices. No information is available on prices paid at all other points in the supply chain.
The farmgate price is calculated from monthly surveys of milk purchasers conducted in England and Wales by DEFRA, in Scotland by RERAD and in Northern Ireland by DARD. The farmgate price is the average price received by producers, net of delivery charges. No deduction has been made for superlevy.
| UK farmgate milk price | |
| Units ( pence per litre) | |
| Source: DEFRA | |
Average retail prices are published monthly by the ONS.
| UK annual average retail price of whole milk | |
| Units (pence per litre) | |
| Source: ONS | |
National Bee Unit: Manpower
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bee disease inspectors were employed by the National Bee Unit in each year since 2004. [291913]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of bee inspectors employed by the Food and Environment Research Agency's National Bee Unit (NBU) in England and Wales each year since 2004 are as follows:
| Number | |
These figures include eight full-time regional bee inspectors and the national bee inspector. The remainder are seasonal bee inspectors who are employed for the active beekeeping season. Details of the work undertaken by the NBU's bee inspectors can be found on the NBU website at:
Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average cost to each farm of implementation of the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008. [292408]
Huw Irranca-Davies: An estimate of the average cost to each farm of implementing the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 has not been made.
The estimated annual cost to the agricultural sector of implementing the regulations is in the range £48,500,000 to £68,600,000. The UK's successful negotiation of a derogation from the livestock manure N farm limit, one of the more demanding requirements set by the nitrates directive, means these costs could be reduced by £16,900,000 to £21,700,000 per annum.
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants his Department makes available for the construction of slurry storage in nitrate vulnerable zones. [292404]
Huw Irranca-Davies: We are not intending to provide a capital grant scheme for the construction of slurry stores. Past experience has shown that this may simply increase supply prices and merely postpone the impact of market forces.
Slurry storage facilities are eligible for plant and machinery allowances such as the annual investment allowance, capped at £50,000 per year. Slurry pits also qualify for allowances in their own right under the Capital Allowances Act 2001.
Poaching
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the maximum penalty for an offence of poaching is; and what statutes govern the offence of poaching. [292368]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Some statutes specifically refer to the offence of poaching; others make it an offence to illegally take or kill wildlife in certain circumstances.
The main statutes governing poaching are: the Game Act 1931 (maximum penalty £5,000); the Poaching Prevention Act 1862 (maximum penalty £1,000); and the Night Poaching Acts 1828 and 1844 (maximum penalty £2,500 and/or six months imprisonment).
Statutes carrying a penalty for the illegal taking or killing of certain wildlife species are: the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (maximum penalty £5,000 and or/six months imprisonment); the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 (the maximum penalty is an unlimited fine and/or up to two years imprisonment); and the Deer Act 1991 (maximum penalty of £2,500 and/or three months imprisonment).
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what
steps he plans to take to ensure that British Standards relating to the welfare of chickens reared for meat production are maintained following the introduction of EU Council Directive 2007/43/EC; and if he will make a statement. [291816]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We are currently considering the responses received to our 12-week public consultation on the transposition of council directive 2007/43 for the protection of chickens kept for meat.
At present there is no specific detailed legislation in place regarding meat chicken welfare other than the very general requirements contained within the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. Council directive 2007/43 is a big step forward into looking at the welfare of meat chickens and is unique in that it is the first piece of EU welfare legislation which looks at welfare outcomes as well as prescribing the conditions in which chickens should be kept.
The new European rules do therefore for the first time produce a legal baseline for all producers, including those who do not participate in any voluntary assurance schemes, while complementing, not replacing, existing voluntary assurance schemes of which many farmers are already a part.
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