HL Deb 20 May 1992 vol 537 cc602-4

2.56 p.m.

The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they propose to ensure that the United Kingdom's present animal and public health status will not be compromised by the relaxation of conditions for entry of animals imported from other EC countries.

The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Howe)

My Lords, the single market means that animals will move between member states on the basis of harmonised health rules without the need for systematic checking at internal frontiers. That does not mean that we will suddenly be wide open to the spread of disease. Throughout the veterinary field measures are being developed to protect those parts of the Community which, like the UK, have a high health status.

The Countess of Mar

My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for that very helpful reply. Will he bear in mind that many of the notifiable diseases which have been eradicated or which are controlled in this country are endemic on the Continent? For example, brucellosis and bovine TB exist in France and both are transmissible to man. There is also Aujeszky's disease in Germany and Denmark. Will the noble Earl acknowledge that a great deal of cost to the taxpayer and the farmer has been expended in getting our present animal health status? For example, £35 million was spent on the eradication of foot and mouth disease in the 1967–68 outbreak and £30 million was spent on swine vesicular disease in 1981. Is the noble Earl aware as regards Aujeszky's disease that recently the pig industry itself has contributed £27 million to eradicate it? If the quarantine regulations are to be withdrawn, will the noble Earl say whether the present policy of slaughter and compensation to farmers will continue or whether they will be expected to vaccinate their animals for evermore?

Earl Howe

My Lords, harmonised EC rules have been, or are being, developed to deal with all the major animal diseases, including foot and mouth and African swine fever, on the basis of compulsory slaughter with generally only emergency vaccination.

The Community sets the rules and contributes to the cost of the compensation. In the case of Aujeszky's disease, of which we are free in the United Kingdom, the Community has not established mandatory requirements for disease control. But if an isolated outbreak were to occur, the United Kingdom would adopt a slaughter and compensation policy with compensation coming from an industry fund.

Lord Middleton

My Lords, does my noble friend accept that the ideal of the Commission in 1992 of free movement across frontiers also allows the free movement of undesirable people, things and animals and, in the context of this question, the undesirable movement of pests and diseases? Does my noble friend further accept that when your Lordships' European Committee looked into the Commission's proposals, which I believe were made in 1989, to relax and even abolish frontier health controls, the committee reported to this House that the idea that one could do so with safety by 1992 was optimistic? I believe that that is putting the matter politely. I believe what was said was that to relax controls—

Noble Lords

Question!

Lord Middleton

—in that way would be greatly irresponsible. The Government's response was in agreement. Can the Minister reassure us that the Government are still of that mind?

Earl Howe

My Lords, the views that my noble friend has just expressed were taken seriously into account, but under the EC Veterinary Checks Directive checking at the point of entry for trade within the Community will be replaced by a system of intensified checks at points of origin and by spot checks at points of destination. For animals traded commercially, these arrangements will provide the necessary protection, and will support the measures that are in place for disease control. However, member states will retain the right to take their own safeguard measures if there is an outbreak of disease or if they suspect another Community member of infringing the relevant animal or public health law.

Baroness Nicol

My Lords, is the Minister aware that imported birds give rise to the human respiratory disease of psittacosis? Is he satisfied that under the new regime there will be sufficient control over that disease so that we do not have a repetition of what has happened in Cambridge where there is a great number of cases—way above the national average—because of the importation of parrots into that region?

Earl Howe

My Lords, the measures that I have just outlined give us cause for reassurance, but where there is a dispute between member states over the accuracy or reliability of health certification, the Commission may then be asked to intervene. In the meantime, the complaining member state may refuse to accept animals that are covered by suspect certification.

Lord Mackie of Benshie

My Lords, does the Minister's Answer mean that all quarantine regulations will be abolished, that dogs will enter the country freely and that foot-and-mouth animals will no longer be subject to quarantine, only to checks at the point of origin and after they have entered the country?

Earl Howe

My Lords, in the case of foot and mouth, yes, and in the case of animals susceptible to rabies, no. The future of the controls on the movements of animals that are susceptible to rabies is under discussion within the Community at the moment. The Government will not support any proposal that increases the risk of rabies being introduced into this country.

Lord Gallacher

My Lords, perhaps I may, first, welcome the noble Earl to the Dispatch Box to answer Questions on agriculture. We hope to keep him busy, as always. Has sufficient progress been made in harmonising Community standards on animal health in general to permit the relaxation of quarantine methods where they now apply? Do Her Majesty's Government still oppose the Commission's proposals that in the transitional period of harmonisation quarantine should take place at the final destination?

Earl Howe

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his remarks. As a result of the agreement that was reached in June 1990, we no longer apply quarantine restrictions to animals susceptible to foot and mouth in particular which are imported from other EC countries except, for the time being, those from Portugal and Italy. We felt able to do that because all Community states have now adopted the slaughter and eradication policy that we, along with Ireland and Denmark, have practised for many years.

The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Wakeham)

My Lords, perhaps it is time that we moved on to the next Question.