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18 Mar 2010 : Column 1002W—continued
rinderpest (otherwise known as cattle plague), and;
Rift Valley fever.
In the case of Bluetongue the chief veterinary officer is likely only to order slaughter of infected cattle (in particular if they have been imported) in the early stages of the outbreak. Otherwise the CVO will consider
all relevant epidemiological circumstances and carry out benefits and risk analysis before deciding whether other control measures would be more appropriate.
Cetaceans: Conservation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps his Department is taking against fishing vessels that do not comply with the provisions of the Incidental Catches of Cetaceans in Fisheries (England) Order 2005; [322471]
(2) how many fishing vessels of 12 metres or more in length are using gillnets or entangling nets in compliance with S.I. 2005, No. 17; and what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of compliance of such vessels. [322472]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK is committed to enforcing all aspects of Council Regulation 812/2004 and the provisions of S.I. 2005, No. 17 in order to minimise cetacean by-catch.
The Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) monitors compliance through the inspection activities of the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron. In addition, the MFA conducts training courses for the Fisheries Protection Squadron who undertake boarding at sea. This has led to increased industry awareness of cetacean by-catch issues.
The use of acoustic deterrent devices, as specified under Council Regulation 812/2004, has been problematic for all member states. DEFRA funded research, undertaken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) in partnership with the fishing industry, has identified significant problems with the acoustic deterrents stipulated in regulation 812 in terms of safety of use and their effectiveness as deterrents.
We reported these concerns to the European Commission and have commissioned an extensive research programme to develop effective deterrents that are safe for our fishers to use. As part of this research, SMRU are currently testing a new, more robust and powerful device. We eagerly await the report of this research, due in April next year.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what research his Department is undertaking on risks posed by fisheries to porpoises and dolphins in UK waters; [322473]
(2) whether his Department is funding research into possible methods of mitigating cetacean bycatch; [322474]
(3) whether his Department is funding research into alternative fishing technology with the aim of eliminating cetacean bycatch. [322475]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK constantly assesses the risks posed to cetaceans from fisheries through our monitoring programme onboard fishing vessels, undertaken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU). We have used this project to identify which fisheries areas pose the greatest risk, and have moved the focus of our monitoring in order to investigate those fisheries of greatest concern.
The UK is committed to avoiding the by-catch of cetaceans wherever possible; we have, in total, spent over £2 million to date since 2000 on a range of measures to understand better, and so reduce, the incidental by-catch of cetaceans.
As part of a five-year research contract between SMRU and DEFRA that ended in 2008, research was conducted into modifications to fishing gear to reduce the by-catch of small cetaceans. This research produced inconclusive results and highlighted the need for more effective deterrents to prevent capture.
The focus of our current research and monitoring is to identify those fisheries responsible for high levels of cetacean by-catch and to test acoustic deterrents that are effective at preventing cetacean bycatch in these fisheries.
SMRU are extensively testing, on behalf of DEFRA, a new, more powerful acoustic deterrent device that we believe will address the problems of safety and effectiveness encountered with other acoustic deterrent devices, and significantly reduce the number of cetaceans caught in fishing gear.
We are committed to finding an acoustic deterrent that is both safe for fishers to use, and effective at deterring cetaceans from fishing gear, and we eagerly await the results of this research, due in April next year.
The annual reports the UK submits to the European Commission under Council Regulation 812/2004 supply more detail on all of this work and can be found at:
Dairy Products: Meat
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the UK's consumption of (a) liquid milk and dairy products and (b) beef and beef products was met by imports in the latest period for which figures are available. [322495]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 16 March 2010]: The following tables show imports as a percentage of total new supply(1) for raw liquid milk for processing, main dairy products and beef and beef products in 2008.
(1 )Total new supply is used as a proxy for consumption where total new supply is production in the UK, minus exports, plus imports. To note: some of this new supply will be processed further and exported (so not consumed in the UK). However, this presents a good assessment of imports in relation to UK consumption.
| Thousand tonnes | Percentage | |
| Source: Eurostat supply balance sheet for meat. | ||
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many designs for its (a) internal website and (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design. [321989]
Dan Norris: The requested information is in the following table.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2010, Official Report, column 163W, on the departmental intranet, what the cost was of the website redesign in 2009. [322280]
Dan Norris: The DEFRA website has undergone a single redesign since the creation of the Department in 2001. This went live on 17 September 2009 and cost £181,378 (for audience research, web structure analysis, design and accessibility auditing).
Dogs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of pit bull terrier type dogs in (a) London and (b) England. [322528]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Pit bull terrier type dogs are prohibited in England with ownership of pit bull terrier type dogs allowed only under strict conditions, where a court has allowed a prohibited type of dog to be registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended 1997). We have made no estimate of illegally owned pit bull terrier numbers. However, the number of live legally owned pit bull terrier type dogs that are registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs in (a) London is 462, and (b) in England (including London) is 800.
Environment Protection: Powers of Entry
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department sought the views of the Home Office in respect of the new powers of entry provision contained in the Environmental Civil Sanctions (England) Order 2010; and whether a liberty test was applied when assessing the merits of such powers of entry in respect of (a) Natural England and (b) the Environment Agency. [322666]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 16 March 2010]: DEFRA consulted the Home Office in respect of the power of entry contained in the Environmental Civil Sanctions (England) Order 2010, as required under guidance to Departments. The power is for Natural England only, sufficient to allow the regulator to ascertain whether the enforcement notices or undertakings available under the order have been fulfilled. As regards the "liberty test", all powers of entry are enacted through legislation and are subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Horses: Disease Control
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of equine diseases. [322593]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The health and welfare of horses is of particular importance as the equine industry is a sizeable and significant component of the national, especially rural, economy and community. DEFRA plays a key part in working with the industry to devise and implement policies to protect all equines, and to control equine exotic diseases. Vigilance and good practice on the part of horse owners/keepers and biosecurity are all vital in the fight against animal disease and DEFRA works in partnership with industry to raise awareness of and promote best practice in these areas.
DEFRA monitors the international disease situation and assesses its impact on the risk to the UK, and carries out risk based post-import testing to help mitigate the risk of disease entering the country and to focus on its early detection to prevent spread. In the international context, DEFRA supports proportionate safeguard measures which mitigate the risk of spread of animal disease into and around the EU.
DEFRA is also working towards implementing appropriate strategies for surveillance for equine diseases in the UK. These are often part of European initiatives carried out across member states. For example, although the likelihood of introduction of African Horse Sickness virus from abroad to the UK via legal trade in horses and other equidae is considered very low, ongoing work to increase national preparedness for an outbreak of that disease, should it occur, is well under way through work on a control strategy for the disease, with a view to legislation coming into force this summer. This work has also strengthened other elements of preparedness for equine diseases more generally, for example, by increasing and deepening joint working between the sector and Government, and putting in place stronger stakeholder engagement mechanisms.
In addition, encouraging and incentivising horse owners/keepers to implement good biosecurity on the ground is also being taken forward with industry as part of the Responsibility and Cost Sharing programme of work.
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