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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Fisheries Enforcement Measures
10. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on progress on fisheries enforcement measures. [39117]
Mr. Morley: Effective enforcement is a top priority for this Government and progress has been made on a number of fronts in the interests of conserving fish stocks and ensuring the long-term viability of the fishing industry.
Cattle Passports
12. Mr. Cranston: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle passports are issued each week by his Ministry. [39119]
Mr. Rooker: The average figure is 33,800.
Common Agricultural Policy
13. Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what savings in the EU agriculture budget he will propose in discussions in the Council of Ministers on CAP reform. [39121]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government will continue to press for CAP reforms which deliver lower prices to consumers in the short term and savings to taxpayers in due course.
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Mr. Andrew George:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. [39120]
Dr. John Cunningham:
The European Commission's proposals go very much in the direction the Government have been advocating, and build on the 1992 reforms which began to shift aid from production support to income support.
24. Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he plans to put to the Council of Ministers for the reform of the CAP during the UK presidency. [39132]
Mr. Rooker:
The European Commission presented its formal legislative proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to the Agriculture Council on 31 March. In many respects, these proposals go very much in the direction that the Government have advocated. The Government will progress discussion of these proposals as far as possible during the UK Presidency and will therefore seek to negotiate an outcome which reflects UK priorities.
25. Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the impact of CAP reform on the next round of World Trade Organisation talks. [39134]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government believe the Agenda 2000 proposals for CAP reform are a welcome step in the right direction. The proposals will generally address the problems which arise from the EU's current WTO commitments, concluded as part of the GATT Uruguay Round. We do not, however, feel they prepare fully for the next round of agricultural liberalisation negotiations in the WTO, which are due to start at the turn of the century.
26. Sir Michael Spicer:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the reform of methods of payment to farmers in the proposals of the European Commission to reform the CAP. [39136]
Mr. Rooker:
The European Commission's proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy go very much in the direction the Government have been advocating, and build on the 1992 reforms which began to shift aid from production support to income support. However, we are disappointed that there is no time-limit or degressivity for compensatory aids.
14. Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with (a) the European Commission and (b) members of the European Agriculture Council about the total lifting of the beef export ban on UK beef. [39122]
Dr. John Cunningham:
On 16 March, the Agriculture Council agreed to allow exports of deboned beef and beef products from Northern Ireland under the Export Certified Herds Scheme, and we have continued to discuss proposals for a Date Based Export Scheme with the Commission, which would apply across the UK.
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22. Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress is being made on securing the lifting of the beef export ban on the basis of a date-based scheme; and if he will make a statement. [39130]
Mr. Rooker:
We are continuing to make progress with our proposals for a Date Based Export Scheme. Our officials have had productive discussions with their counterparts in the European Commission. As a result, the Commission is now preparing a draft proposal for presentation to the Standing Veterinary Committee in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Florence Agreement.
15. Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the importance of hill farms to the rural economy in upland areas. [39123]
Mr. Morley:
A recent economic evaluation of the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances Scheme in England suggests that the relative importance of farming in upland areas in England is declining as the non-agricultural population increases. Agriculture, nevertheless, remains a significant employer in the Less Favoured Areas and we recognise the role that it plays in sustaining the upland economy, as well as the traditional upland landscape.
16. Mr. Baldry:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of dairy farmers who will cease milk production this year. [39124]
Mr. Morley:
None. However, the number of dairy farmers has been falling for many years and it is likely this trend will continue.
17. Mr. Fraser:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of food safety standards across the European Union. [39125]
Mr. Rooker:
Much food law is harmonised at the EU level and it is the Commission's responsibility to ensure that standards are applied consistently. The Government believe that UK consumers should be able to expect the same high standards of safety from food produced anywhere in the EU.
18. Judy Mallaber:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to increase sales of British beef. [39126]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government have continued to support various initiatives to help restore consumer confidence in beef and so promote sales. These have included Farm Assurance Schemes, the Assured British Meat initiative and measures such as beef labelling, raising hygiene standards and improving cattle traceability. We have also been in discussion with the
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Ministry of Defence recently to explore ways in which the volume of British beef purchased by the Armed Forces might be increased.
19. Mr. Luff:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had with representatives of milk producers about the price of milk; and if he will make a statement. [39127]
Mr. Morley:
I have regular meetings on a range of issues with farming organisations. Some of these organisations have milk producers amongst their members. Apart from the operation of the Common Agricultural Policy, the price milk producers receive for their products is a commercial matter.
20. Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to publish the draft Food Standards Agency Bill. [39128]
Mr. Rooker:
We hope to publish the draft Bill later in the current Parliamentary Session.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what powers the Food Standards Agency will have in respect of imported food. [39014]
Mr. Rooker:
The Agency will need to play a key role in import policy to ensure that food safety continues to be protected, and we are looking at how this can best be achieved whilst taking into account trade and animal health issues.
The Agency will have responsibility for legislation and guidance on enforcement activities relating to imported food under The Imported Food Regulations 1997. Responsibility for enforcing food safety legislation in respect of imported food will remain with the Port Health Authorities and Local Authorities, but in future the Agency will have a key role in monitoring this work. In addition, the Agency will take on MAFF's current responsibilities for routine chemical and microbiological surveillance of foodstuffs, which makes no distinction between imported and domestic produce. Where surveillance gives rise to concerns, it will be for the Agency to decide--on the basis of advice from its expert Committees--what action to take.
21. Mrs. Dean:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress he has made with regard to labelling of beef. [39129]
Mr. Hanson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evaluation he is undertaking of the beef labelling scheme. [39135]
Mr. Rooker:
No evaluation of the beef labelling scheme can yet be undertaken, because of the European Commission's decision further to delay the scheme's full entry into force until 1 July. Nevertheless, some 11,000 beef outlets in the UK have already received approval for the detailed labelling information they supply, having
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applied voluntarily since the scheme's launch last October. I expect more to receive approval before the scheme takes full effect.
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