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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Farm Incomes
10. Mr. Baldry: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evaluation his Department has made of the impact of the current levels of the green pound on farms incomes. [33762]
Dr. John Cunningham: The Government recognise the impact of currency movements on agriculture, but it is difficult to assess these effects precisely. UK farmers receive a substantial degree of protection from the impact of currency movements on their receipts under the CAP through the EU agrimonetary system.
Welsh Livestock Industry
18. Mr. Edwards: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representation he has received from farming representatives in Wales about the crisis in the Welsh livestock industry. [33772]
Mr. Morley: My right hon. Friend met hon. Members representing Welsh constituencies as recently as 19 February to discuss the state of the livestock sector in the Principality.
Sheep Prices
19. Mr. Livsey: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he is prepared to take to alleviate the fall in prices for sheep in the United Kingdom. [33774]
Mr. Rooker: Government action in this sector is constrained by the rules of the CAP regime for sheepmeat. In recognition of the depressed state of the sheepmeat market, I recently instructed my officials to ask the Commission to open tenders for Private Storage Aid in the UK. The Commission responded promptly to our request, fixing a flat-rate Private Storage Aid of 1,400 ecu per tonne for a maximum of 3,000 tonnes of sheepmeat to be placed into storage in the Republic of Ireland and the UK.
Farmers
20. Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the percentage of farmers who will leave agricultural production in the next five years. [33775]
Mr. Morley:
I have not made such an estimate. The numbers of farmers leaving agricultural production will depend on the decisions they take in the light of economic circumstances.
19 Mar 1998 : Column: 727
22. Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on enforcement of the regulations banning the sale of beef on the bone. [33778]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government believe that the Regulations are enforceable in accordance with existing food safety and consumer protection enforcement procedures.
23. Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made on lifting the export ban on British Beef. [33779]
Mr. Rooker:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Mr. Grogan) earlier today.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what support his Department gives to urban farms. [33758]
Mr. Morley:
Urban farms have a role based more on education than production. The Department gives no specific support to farms simply because they are situated in an urban area.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met organic farming groups to discuss the future of organic farming. [33777]
Mr. Morley:
My right hon. Friend last met individuals concerned with organic farming on 9 February. I met the Board of the UK Register of Organic Food Standards today.
Mr. Levitt:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made with the selective cull of cattle; and if he will make a statement. [35686]
Mr. Rooker:
In Great Britain, we have contacted all the herds in which BSE cases were born and sought to identify animals which were exposed to the same feed as these cases. Where these animals have been sold off the farm of origin, we have tried to trace and locate them. Not surprisingly, given the age of the animals, we have found that about 156,000 animals have already been slaughtered, including those taken under the Over Thirty Months Scheme. But under the selective cull we have identified and slaughtered about 66,000 animals to date. A further 10,000 animals have been traced but not yet slaughtered, including a number for which the owner has the option to offer them but has not so far done so.
In addition, in Northern Ireland all the 1,461 animals to be taken under the cull have been slaughtered. As a result, the total to date for the United Kingdom is over 67,000. All these animals attract the special rates of compensation payable under this scheme.
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It is now estimated that the total number slaughtered under the selective cull will be about 80,000-85,000. We are determined to finish the cull as quickly as we can and are continuing to treat it as a high priority. The last stages will focus on tracing animals which have moved from their natal herd. This is a time-consuming and difficult task, made more difficult by the lack of the computerised cattle tracing system which we are now developing. Progress on the cull will inevitably become slower, as increasingly often it is single animals that have to be tracked down. However we expect to complete the whole work by the autumn.
The selective cull has been an enormous task. Farmers themselves have made a substantial contribution. It has been an unwelcome and for many a distressing task. We are grateful for their co-operation and their recognition that this has been an essential step in fulfilling the Florence preconditions.
Mr. Nicholls:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many counties in the South West of England he has visited since 1 May 1997. [32064]
Dr. John Cunningham:
I have not visited the South West. However, my noble Friend Lord Donoughue, the Parliamentary Secretary, has specific responsibility for the MAFF South West region and he has visited Devon twice and Cornwall once since 1 May 1997. He hopes to visit both again in the forthcoming months. In addition, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary has made the same number of visits to Devon and Cornwall since 1 May 1997.
Mr. Randall:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many meetings have been requested with his Department's Ministers by (a) Labour and (b) Conservative hon. Members; and how many meetings have been granted in each category. [31298]
Dr. John Cunningham:
I and my colleagues receive many requests for meetings from individual, and groups of, hon. Members, about numerous issues, many of which cut across party boundaries. To seek to identify those requests on the basis of party allegiance would be misleading and would serve no useful purpose. However, I can confirm that I and my Ministerial team have held meetings with hon. Members from both the Government and the majority of Opposition parties, including the Conservative Party.
Mr. Charles Clarke:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the individual estimates his Department has made of the financial and personnel impact of relocating Norwich-based scientific staff of the Central Science Laboratory to York. [33985]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 11 March 1998]: No decision has been taken regarding the future location of the Norwich-based staff of the Central Science Laboratory. In considering this matter, current best estimates indicate that the relocation costs involved would be £2.8m and efficiency savings resulting from the move
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would amount to £1.5m per annum. Eligible staff would then be offered a full relocation package in accordance with Civil Service rules and assistance would be provided for non-mobile staff not relocating.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions his Department held with (a) the Engineering Council and (b) the Institution of Agricultural Engineers prior to the publication of the White Paper on the Food Standards Agency (Cm 3830); and if he will make a statement. [35039]
Mr. Rooker:
The Department held no discussions with either organisation prior to the publication of the White Paper 'The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change'. The Engineering Council has, however, commented on the White Paper on behalf of the engineering profession (including the Institution of Agricultural Engineers). Their views will be carefully considered, along with all other responses to this consultation.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has evaluated into anthrax, separately identifying that relating to Gruinard Island. [33773]
Mr. Rooker:
Research funded by the Department and published last year evaluated the public health risks from pigs killed following an outbreak of anthrax infection. The Department has also gained information on decontamination of land following the successful project carried out by the Ministry of Defence on Gruinard Island.
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