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Milk

Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on farm gate milk prices of change to the temperature attained in the pasteurisation of milk process. [23064]

Mr. Morley: I am not aware of any proposals to change the temperature required for the pasteurisation of milk. However, in a recent consultation paper on their draft strategy for the control of "Mycobacterium avium" subspecies "paratuberculosis" in cow's milk the Food Standards Agency proposed that the pasteurisation time for milk should be increased from 15 to 25 seconds. I understand that most liquid milk production in the UK is already pasteurised for 25 seconds. Accordingly, I would expect this proposal to have little effect on the farmgate price of milk.

Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and the Chairman of the Food Standards Agency on changes in the pasteurisation of milk process; and what recent representations she has received from milk producer organisations regarding proposed increases in the temperature attained in the pasteurisation of milk. [23063]

Mr. Morley: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health or the chairman of the Food Standards Agency on changes in the pasteurisation of milk process. Nor has she received any recent representations from milk producer organisations regarding proposed increases in the temperature attained in the pasteurisation of milk. My right hon. Friend is not aware of any proposals to change the temperature required for the pasteurisation of milk. However, a recent consultation paper on the Food Standards Agency draft strategy for the control of "Mycobacterium avium" subspecies "paratuberculosis" in cows' milk proposed that

8 Jan 2002 : Column: 749W

pasteurisation time for milk should be increased from 15 to 25 seconds. This practice is already observed in most dairies.

Rhizomania

Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support her Department has given to (a) the development and (b) the dissemination of information on rhizomania-tolerant varieties of sugar beet. [23062]

Mr. Morley: DEFRA and the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have spent over one million pounds on research into rhizomania. Much of this research has been into the biology of the organisms which cause and spread the disease, essential information for those developing tolerant varieties. Included in this work are projects more specifically related to the development of tolerant varieties including investigation of the biology and control of Plasmodiophoraceous virus vectors, an investigation of the significance of resistance-breaking Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus (BNYVV) pathotypes for the UK sugar beet industry, and a project which seeks to identify new sources of rhizomania resistance. Additionally, DEFRA has supported the use of new tolerant varieties by accepting an industry request to allow their use on outbreak farms, in fields in which the disease has not been found. However, the development and dissemination of information on new varieties is the task of the seeds industry. Given the widespread findings of the disease in many European countries, where it is managed through the use of tolerant varieties, inevitably much of this development work has been done in those countries.

Laying Hens

Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the future impact of the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive on the (a) operations and (b) profitability of the UK egg producing industry. [23066]

Mr. Morley: A partial regulatory impact assessment was produced to accompany the draft regulations to implement the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive during a recent public consultation exercise.

The regulatory impact assessment is now being updated following consultation.

Biosecurity

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she

8 Jan 2002 : Column: 750W

has to link future claims for compensation for loss of livestock to the implementation of biosecurity recommendations. [23631]

Mr. Morley: The Animal Health Bill provides for the payment of compensation following infection with foot and mouth disease to be linked to good practice in maintaining adequate levels of biosecurity on affected farms. All farmers will qualify for 75 per cent. of market value, with the payment of any additional amount being subject to an assessment of biosecurity and related matters. Under this adjusted compensation scheme farmers will be incentivised to maintain effective biosecurity. This will benefit responsible farmers and the wider community by helping to limit the spread of disease.

The Bill also provides powers to enable the extension of the provisions on adjusted compensation to other animal diseases, should we decide that it is necessary. This would be done by order, subject to affirmative resolution.

Cattle Imports

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle imports there have been in each of the last three years. [23698]

Mr. Morley: Estimates of number of cattle imported in the last three calendar years are given in the table. The majority of these imports are from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland.

UK live cattle imports

	Thousand
1998	8.6
1999	20
2000	27

Source:

HM Customs and DARD, Northern

Prepared by: Statistics (Commodities and Economics and Statistics)

Food Imports

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the food imports from each European Union country over the last 12 months, broken down by product. [23712]

Mr. Morley: The table shows the value of food, feed and drink imports from each of the European Union countries, over the most recent 12 months for which data are available, broken down by product.

UK Imports of food, feed and drink from EC countries: October 2000-September 2001⁽⁵⁶⁾£ million

Product group/type	France	Netherlands	Irish Republic	Germany	Spain	Italy	Denmark
Beverages
Beer	30	35	51	54	11	7	1
Cider and other fermented beverages	1	3	5	7	0	0	0
Mineral water	99	43	34	17	3	8	5
Other spirits	78	12	56	4	4	89	0
Whisky	1	2	10	0	0	0	0
Wine	613	8	1	81	135	187	2
Total	822	103	158	163	153	291	8
Cereals and Cereal Preparations
Barley, unmilled	0	0	4	0	0	0	1
Bread, crispbreads, savoury biscuits	52	41	76	54	6	22	20
Cereal, milled	12	1	2	1	0	2	0
Cereal, rolled or flaked	21	12	1	14	4	0	1
Mixes and doughs for baking	7	6	5	4	0	0	4
Other cereal (including maize), unmilled	103	4	2	4	0	0	0
Pasta uncooked	0	2	1	1	0	53	0
Rice	8	21	1	4	14	21	0
Sweet biscuits	34	19	20	25	6	21	2
Wheat, unmilled	28	4	4	10	0	5	5
Total	267	110	116	116	31	126	32
Coffee, Tea, Cocoa and Spices
Chocolate	43	53	108	54	2	7	3
Cocoa	10	47	0	4	1	0	1
Coffee	15	18	3	68	5	7	3
Spices	3	7	1	4	4	0	0
Tea	2	1	1	3	0	0	0
Total	73	127	113	132	11	15	7
Dairy Products and Birds Eggs
Butter	9	4	46	3	0	0	110
Cheese	101	31	190	55	6	56	70
Condensed milk	0	1	0	7	0	0	0
Eggs and egg products	12	14	3	9	1	2	2
Ice cream	52	3	5	11	8	5	0
Milk and cream	6	1	18	7	0	1	5
Milk powder	5	13	15	6	0	0	0
Other milk products	7	7	10	15	0	0	2
Yogurt	14	0	4	27	2	0	3
Total	206	74	290	141	17	65	191
Feedingstuffs for Animals
Dog or cat food for retail	42	26	23	20	4	1	5
Flours, meals and pellets of meat, offal or fish	1	3	6	9	0	0	3
Oil cake	4	53	3	17	0	0	0
Other animal feedingstuffs	7	23	15	10	1	1	1
Total	54	105	46	56	6	2	8
Fish and Fish Preparations
Crustaceans	15	7	10	6	3	1	28
Fish and crustaceans prepared or preserved	6	13	4	12	17	1	17
Fish fresh or chilled	10	3	17	0	0	0	17
Fish frozen	3	15	2	27	7	0	55
Fish live	3	0	0	0	1	0	0
Total	35	39	33	45	29	2	116
Meat and Meat Preparations
Bacon and ham	30	232	14	8	1	13	230
Beef and veal	5	25	157	10	2	6	5
Beef products (inc. corned beef)	4	3	46	4	0	0	2
Edible offal and other meat	3	4	4	2	0	0	6
Lamb and mutton	3	2	5	1	3	0	0
Other meat products	35	57	94	11	1	8	48
Pork	33	42	31	29	6	1	149
Poultrymeat (inc. poultry offal)	93	270	21	44	16	13	26
Sausages and related products	13	15	6	29	3	16	7
Total	219	651	376	138	31	57	473
Miscellaneous Edible Products
Infant food for retail	7	3	66	5	1	0	0
Margarine	0	12	15	1	0	3	1
Other food products and preparations	55	42	137	56	5	18	11
Pasta, cooked or stuffed	4	1	3	5	0	25	0
Sauces, condiments, seasonings	15	71	9	17	4	30	0
Total	82	129	231	85	11	75	13
Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits
Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits	27	8	3	35	0	1	3
Total	27	8	3	35	0	1	3
Oils and Fats
Animal oils and fats, not chemically modified	4	8	4	5	0	2	9
Processed fats and waxes	3	13	1	23	1	2	8
Vegetable oils and fats, soft, crude, refined or fraction	36	122	2	10	24	23	2
Total	44	143	6	38	25	27	19
Sugars, Sugar Preparations and Honey
Honey	0	1	0	2	0	0	0
Molasses	0	17	1	1	0	1	0
Other beet or cane sugar	21	4	23	5	0	0	1
Other sugars	28	13	0	6	0	1	0
Raw beet or cane sugar	3	2	0	0	0	0	0
Sugar confectionery	16	18	14	25	32	5	1
Total	69	54	39	39	32	7	3
Vegetables and Fruit
Apples, fresh	85	11	1	2	2	11	0
Apricots, cherries, peaches, plums and sloes (fresh)	15	1	1	1	38	32	0
Bananas	29	14	7	1	0	0	0
Grapes, fresh or dried	6	9	1	2	23	8	0
Jams	17	16	2	29	20	24	12
Juice	47	58	18	45	9	10	1
Lemons and Limes	1	1	0	0	16	1	0
Lettuce and chicory, fresh or chilled	16	7	0	0	73	6	0
Mushrooms and truffles, fresh or chilled	4	25	79	0	0	0	0
Nuts	1	2	0	14	3	6	0
Oranges and Mandarins etc.	1	6	0	3	98	1	0
Other citrus fruit	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Other fruit	29	24	0	8	65	15	0
Other vegetables, fresh or chilled	55	142	7	5	188	17	1
Other vegetables, prepared or preserved	36	23	2	13	12	33	1
Pears and quinces fresh	2	25	0	0	2	6	0
Potato products	5	105	4	10	0	3	4
Potatoes, fresh or chilled (inc. seed)	21	19	2	3	10	5	0
Tomatoes, fresh or chilled	3	79	0	1	144	4	0
Tomatoes, prepared or preserved	1	0	0	3	6	82	0
Vegetable, frozen or provisionally prepared	16	38	9	3	16	1	1
Total	392	606	134	145	726	266	20
Total Food, Feed and Drink	2,287	2,148	1,546	1,133	1,072	934	894

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£ million

Product group/type	Belgium	Greece	Portugal	Austria	Sweden	Finland	Luxembourg
Beverages
Beer	12	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cider and other fermented beverages	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mineral water	18	0	0	55	1	0	0
Other spirits	2	0	0	0	4	0	0
Whisky	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wine	5	2	39	0	0	0	0
Total	39	2	40	56	5	0	0
Cereals and Cereal Preparations
Barley, unmilled	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Bread, crispbreads, savoury biscuits	56	0	1	0	5	3	0
Cereal, milled	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cereal, rolled or flaked	12	0	0	0	1	0	0
Mixes and doughs for baking	2	0	0	0	2	0	0
Other cereal (including maize), unmilled	13	0	0	0	0	1	0
Pasta uncooked	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rice	5	1	0	0	0	0	0
Sweet biscuits	17	0	0	4	0	0	0
Wheat, unmilled	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	109	22	2	4	9	4	0
Coffee, Tea, Cocoa and Spices
Chocolate	57	0	0	0	4	0	0
Cocoa	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Coffee	8	0	0	1	0	0	0
Spices	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	68	0	0	2	4	0	0
Dairy Products and Birds Eggs
Butter	5	0	0	1	0	0	0
Cheese	62	6	0	5	0	0	0
Condensed milk	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eggs and egg products	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ice cream	6	1	0	0	1	0	0
Milk and cream	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Milk powder	2	0	0	0	4	0	0
Other milk products	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Yogurt	8	6	0	0	0	0	0
Total	94	12	0	6	6	1	0
Feedingstuffs for Animals
Dog or cat food for retail	29	1	2	9	0	0	0
Flours, meals and pellets of meat, offal or fish	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oil cake	9	0	2	0	0	0	0
Other animal feedingstuffs	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	45	1	4	9	0	0	0
Fish and Fish Preparations
Crustaceans	9	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fish and crustaceans prepared or preserved	0	0	7	0	1	0	0
Fish fresh or chilled	0	5	0	0	11	0	0
Fish frozen	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Fish live	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	10	5	9	0	12	0	0
Meat and Meat Preparations
Bacon and ham	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Beef and veal	4	0	0	1	0	0	0
Beef products (inc. corned beef)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Edible offal and other meat	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Lamb and mutton	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other meat products	26	0	0	0	2	0	0
Pork	19	0	1	0	1	0	0
Poultrymeat (inc. poultry offal)	17	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sausages and related products	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	78	1	1	1	4	0	0
Miscellaneous Edible Products
Infant food for retail	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Margarine	8	0	0	0	0	3	0
Other food products and preparations	21	1	0	1	2	0	0
Pasta, cooked or stuffed	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sauces, condiments, seasonings	14	1	4	0	2	0	0
Total	45	1	4	1	5	3	0
Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits
Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits	4	1	0	0	0	0	0
Total	4	1	0	0	0	0	0
Oils and Fats
Animal oils and fats, not chemically modified	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Processed fats and waxes	5	0	0	0	1	7	0
Vegetable oils and fats, soft, crude, refined or fraction	14	4	0	0	2	0	0
Total	22	4	0	0	3	7	0
Sugars, Sugar Preparations and Honey
Honey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Molasses	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other beet or cane sugar	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other sugars	12	0	0	0	0	2	0
Raw beet or cane sugar	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sugar confectionery	16	1	0	0	2	1	0
Total	33	1	0	0	2	3	0
Vegetables and Fruit
Apples, fresh	2	0	0	2	0	0	0
Apricots, cherries, peaches, plums and sloes (fresh)	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
Bananas	32	0	0	0	0	0	0
Grapes, fresh or dried	1	43	0	0	0	0	0
Jams	10	14	1	0	0	0	0
Juice	17	0	1	14	0	0	0
Lemons and Limes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lettuce and chicory, fresh or chilled	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
Mushrooms and truffles, fresh or chilled	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nuts	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oranges and Mandarins etc.	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Other citrus fruit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other fruit	11	1	1	0	0	0	0
Other vegetables, fresh or chilled	7	1	6	0	0	0	0
Other vegetables, prepared or preserved	5	5	0	0	0	0	0
Pears and quinces fresh	8	0	4	0	0	0	0
Potato products	25	0	0	0	0	0	0
Potatoes, fresh or chilled (inc. seed)	10	0	3	2	0	0	0
Tomatoes, fresh or chilled	6	0	2	0	0	0	0
Tomatoes, prepared or preserved	0	15	18	0	0	0	0
Vegetable, frozen or provisionally prepared	44	0	2	1	0	0	0
Total	183	84	41	20	1	0	0
Total Food, Feed and Drink	730	116	100	99	51	19	0

⁽⁵⁶⁾ 2000–01 EU data are provisional and subject to amendment

Source:

HM Customs and Excise: Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities and Food) Accounts and Trade, ESD, DEFR

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