HL Deb 03 November 1983 vol 444 cc633-4

3.27 p.m.

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Belstead)

My Lords, I beg to move that the Sheep Variable Premium (Protection of Payments) (Amendment) Order 1983, a copy of which was laid before Parliament on 18th July 1983, be approved. I must apologise for bringing this statutory instrument on to the Order Paper at short notice. This order enables us to give effect to a Community regulation which requires all sheep on which sheep variable premium is paid to be slaughtered or exported within 21 days of certification for the premium. The Community regulation came into effect on 1st August. The order, which has been operative from the same date, provides the necessary powers to enforce it in Great Britain. It has been framed to cause the minimum disturbance to traditional patterns of livestock marketing in this country. The existing requirement that people buying or selling certified sheep should keep records has been extended and there is a new requirement that purchasers of certified sheep must be notified of the slaughter requirement attaching to these animals. The purchaser then has the responsibility for ensuring that the animals are slaughtered (or exported) within the specified period. Records are available to enforcement officers within the constraints set down in the parent order. Offences for breach of the rules and penalties are specified in the Agriculture Act 1957.

Concern was expressed at the time the slaughter rule was introduced that it could lead to depressed market prices this autumn. We secured from the Commission an undertaking to review the rule if it led to market distortions. We are monitoring market movements closely and will draw the Commission's attention to any untoward developments which we believe can be ascribed to the slaughter rule. I ask the House to approve this order.

Moved, That the order laid before the House on 18th July be approved.—(Lord Belstead.)

Lord John-Mackie

My Lords, we thank the noble Lord, Lord Belstead. We are sorry that he was rushed into this at short notice and I personally would like to thank him for getting it on to the Order Paper a little early to suit me. Variable premium, as we all know, is valuable in the livestock production of cattle and sheep in this country. There is no doubt that the system with sheep where a farmer could buy sheep out of the ring after they have been certified and keep them for a considerable time to improve on them—or to gamble on the price, for that matter—was one which was quite open to a lot of malpractice. I think that this order is right.

I suppose it is right that records should be kept for a longer period, but three years is such a long time to ask people to keep records. Farmers are not prone to looking after records and such things. Probably because this order is valuable to the livestock trade in this country we should put up with it. I see no reason for holding it up, and we give it our blessing.

On Question, Motion agreed to.