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Fish Species: Total Allowable Catch

Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will set out for each of the last 10 years the total allowable catch for each fish species in each region recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, together with the eventual tonnage decided by the Council of Fishery Ministers at its annual meeting to decide the tonnages.[HL244]

Baroness Hayman: A table showing the TACs decided, together with the ICES advice, over the last 10 years is available in the Libraries of both Houses. For some stocks in some years, ICES did not advise a specific TAC but instead recommended appropriate levels of fishing effort. In these cases the figure for the recommended TAC shown in the table is that which our fisheries scientists have established as consistent with the ICES advice.

Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:

On what occasions over the last 10 years the fishermen's representative bodies urged Ministers to agree total allowable catches in excess of those recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.[HL245]

Baroness Hayman: The advice from ICES does not necessarily offer a single proposal for each TAC: a range of strategies is often possible. The Government's approach is to discuss the scientific advice and the Commission's proposals with representatives of the fishing industry and to adopt a negotiating line which takes a balanced approach in the light of both the representations from fisheries organisations and the scientific advice.

BSE

Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish an updated table showing the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Britain each week during the calendar year 2000, together with the moving annual total of cases for each 52-week period. [HL282]

Baroness Hayman: The following table shows the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain during each week of 2000, together with the moving annual total of cases reported for each 52-week period.

Week Number	No. confirmed each week	52 Week Total Reported
1	33	2,957
2	60	2,906
3	13	2,874
4	25	2,846
5	13	2,818
6	63	2,789
7	56	2,754
8	32	2,726
9	33	2,688
10	46	2,634
11	7	2,632
12	76	2,599
13	41	2,578
14	26	2,566
15	25	2,537
16	25	2,501
17	26	2,487
18	29	2,460
19	30	2,431
20	38	2,426
21	26	2,408
22	17	2,373
23	22	2,338
24	65	2,313
25	26	2,290
26	32	2,276
27	21	2,262
28	22	2,229
29	30	2,206
30	60	2,181
31	15	2,165
32	20	2,157
33	21	2,130
34	34	2,107
35	19	2,090
36	7	2,074
37	40	2,051
38	20	2,039
39	25	2,022
40	26	2,017
41	50	2,025
42	26	2,005
43	26	2,000
44	18	1,997
45	31	1,975
46	25	1,964
47	24	1,946
48	17	1,941
49	36	1,923
50	21	1,906
51	23	1,882
52	0	1,869

Note:

Week 1 is the week ending Friday 7 January 2000.

These figures are affected by a variable delay between slaughter and confirmation as a result of the various times required for laboratory diagnosis and administrative procedures. The time between slaughter and confirmation is, on average, six to eight weeks but may on occasion be considerably longer.

15 Jan 2001 : Column WA122

Game Meat: Export from US

Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the names and addresses of the six facilities licensed to export game meat from the United States to the United Kingdom.[HL271]

Baroness Hayman: Four rabbit meat and farmed game meat establishments and two wild game meat establishments in the USA are approved to export to the UK. They are as follows:

Rabbit meat/farmed game meat

Southern Wild Game/Intergame USA, Devine, Texas

Diamond K Ranch Game Meats Inc, Ingram, Texas

Wild Game meat

Frontier Game Company, Whiteface, Texas

Beltex Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas

Southern Wild Game/Intergame USA, Devine, Texas

North American Bison Cooperative, New Rockford, North Dakota

These are all EU approved establishments and further details are available on the European Commission's website at the following address where the product and the country may be selected from the lists shown: http://forum.europa.eu.int/irc/sanco/vets/info/data/listes/list all.html

BSE Testing

Lord Dubs asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will report what BSE testing is being undertaken in the United Kingdom during 2001.

Baroness Hayman: Following the reports of an increase in the number of cases of BSE in some other European countries, the European Union has asked member states to carry out a survey for the disease. Starting on 15 January, the brains of at least 6,500 cattle over 30 months old which die on farm or in transit, or which are killed on farm but are not eligible for the Over Thirty Months Scheme, will be tested for BSE during 2001 in Great Britain.

This is in addition to the testing carried out when clinical symptoms indicate the disease may be present in specific animals.

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