HC Deb 08 January 2004 vol 416 c400
14. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)

What steps she is taking to prevent a further outbreak of foot and mouth disease. [146382]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr. Ben Bradshaw)

The many steps that have been taken to prevent foot and mouth disease, including improving the detection of illegal imports of meat, banning swill feeding, subjecting animal movements to licensing and a standstill period, are all detailed in the Government's response to the foot and mouth inquiries. Contingency plans have also been strengthened to deal with the disease, should an outbreak occur.

Michael Fabricant

I am grateful to the Minister for mentioning the illegal importation of meat, because he knows that the British Veterinary Association has identified that as one of the main causes of foot and mouth disease. If he visits the US, Australia, New Zealand—or indeed most other countries—he will find sniffer dogs waiting for him whose job is to detect the illegal importation of meat. The last time that I raised this matter with the Minister, he accidentally told me that the UK had more than two sniffer dogs available. I am grateful for the letter of apology that he sent to me, but will he say how many sniffer dogs we now have for the detection of the illegal importation of meat, and how many airline terminals and seaports have to be covered?

Mr. Bradshaw

That was a very long question and I shall try to answer as much of it as I can, if Opposition Members stay quiet for a moment. I have travelled to New Zealand, where I was snapped by a sniffer dog for carrying a piece of fruit. The hon. Gentleman is therefore not correct when he says that America, Australia and New Zealand have sniffer dogs only for meat. Those countries have them for the detection of other food products as well, but they have a very different tradition from us. The hon. Gentleman knows that New Zealand is especially concerned about its particular biodiversity.

In the UK, we have two sniffer dogs that are specifically allocated to the detection of illegal food imports into this country. We will soon have six such dogs, and in the next financial year we will double the amount of money made available to Customs and Excise for that purpose. I expect that the number of sniffer dogs will increase further. However, Opposition Members must realise that, in the current security climate, there has been a bit of a run on sniffer dogs and on their handlers. Their main priority has been to detect explosives, and I hope that Opposition Members will agree that that is absolutely right.