HL Deb 14 November 1996 vol 575 cc1021-2

Lord Carter asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect to lay before Parliament the orders required for the BSE accelerated slaughter scheme.

Lord Lucas

My Lords, all aspects of the proposed accelerated slaughter scheme are currently the subject of detailed discussions within government. We shall report to Parliament when decisions have been reached.

Lord Carter

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Is he aware that the Government seem to have manoeuvred themselves into an impossible negotiating position? Under the Florence Agreement we cannot get the beef export ban lifted without a selective slaughter scheme. If we read Hansard of yesterday's debate in the other place carefully, the Government now seem to be saying that with a selective slaughter scheme they cannot get the export ban lifted. Whatever happened to the negotiating triumph that we were told the Prime Minister brought back from Florence?

Lord Lucas

My Lords, we continue to operate within the Florence Agreement. I did indeed read Hansard of yesterday's proceedings in another place. I was delighted by the remarks made by the Opposition spokesman for agriculture who said that he would support a slaughter scheme whether or not it was scientifically justified and whether or not it would result in the lifting of the ban. That was an encouraging statement, and certainly it is one of the matters we are contemplating.

Lord Stanley of Alderley

My Lords, will my noble friend confirm that if, as promised, the over 30-month scheme is completed by the end of December there will be slaughter house capacity to continue with a further accelerated cull?

Lord Lucas

My Lords, yes, indeed, once the backlog is dealt with, it will be possible to find room for an accelerated cull. However, before we can do an accelerated cull it will be necessary to identify the animals to be culled.

Lord Geraint

My Lords, will the Minister explain why his Government penalise British beef producers by paying less for their stock under the BSE slaughter scheme than the open market price?

Lord Lucas

My Lords, the price paid was, I understand, intended to be the open market price for cull cows. That obviously varies in relation to the price of clean beef.

Lord Hylton

My Lords, when do the Government estimate that the 1,300 or so animals required to be dealt with in Northern Ireland will have been slaughtered?

Lord Lucas

My Lords, that is a matter about which we will hear more shortly.

Lord Carter

My Lords, do the Government have the first idea of the tremendous uncertainty that exists on farms that might be caught by a selective slaughter scheme? Farmers do not know whether to keep heifers or sell them or what forage stocks they require. They also face many other farming problems. Cannot the Government give those farmers some idea of their intentions?

Lord Lucas

My Lords, I do not see the difficulty. If the cows are useful and producing milk the farmers can continue to farm them for that purpose. If they are no longer producing milk they can put them in for slaughter under the over-30 month scheme.

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