§ Mr. Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps have been taken, when, by whom, and with what results, on the recommendation of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566, published in March 1974, that the attention of veterinary staff and customs authorities at ports be drawn to allegations of unweaned and underweight calves having been exported.
§ Mr. John SilkinThe O'Brien Committee made no specific recommendation but drew the attention of the veterinary staff and the Customs authorities to the evidence it had received on these points. Government veterinary staff, as part of their inspection of animals for fitness to travel, reject those which are below 50 kg. in weight and any whose condition indicates that they have not adapted to artificial feeding.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps have been taken, when, by whom, and with what results, on the recommendation of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566 published in March 1974 that the veterinary officer who carries out an inspection at approved lairage premises, or his deputy, should also be present at the time of loading.
§ Mr. John SilkinThe Committee was concerned that, where lairages were some distance from the ports, veterinary supervision did not extend to the point of loading. Since 1974, the major part of live animal exports by sea takes place in vehicles carried on roll-on/roll-off vessels. Thus the important loading operation now takes place at the lairage itself. The recent report on the export of live food animals recommends that, if this 647W trade is to continue, there should be more checks on loading at the lairage.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps have been taken, when, and with what results, on the recommendation of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566, published in March 1974 that the technical problems involved in the transport of animals by air should be given further attention by the state veterinary services as a matter of urgency.
§ Mr. John SilkinI refer my hon. Fried to the reply given to him on 12th June which explained the work done in this area by Government veterinary staff.—[Vol. 951, col.359.]
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps have been taken, when, and with whom, when, and with what results, on the recommendation of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566, published March 1974, that urgent consideration should be given to the technical problems in roll-on/roll-off transport to ensure that any deficiencies are corrected; whether he will list any deficiencies found and the steps taken to overcome them; and if he will detail the research carried out into this matter, when it was done, and by whom.
§ Mr. John SilkinI refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave on 12th June which explained when and with whom consultations took place and which reported the number of consignments of animals accompanied by Government veterinary officers or the Ministry's marine superintendents.—[Vol. 951, col.359–61.]
In 1976, Ministry veterinary staff concentrated on the carriage of animals on roll-on/roll-off vessels. The main factors studied were the positioning of livestock vehicles in relation to other vehicles and to the inlet fans on the vehicle deck; the airflow and temperature inside and outside the livestock vehicles; the arrangements for shackling of the vehicles and containers, and for access to the animals; the condition of the vehicles themselves; and the condition and behaviour 648W of the animals. No major deficiencies were discovered in the operation of this method of transport, but some points were identified where improvement could be made and hauliers and exporters were given advice on aspects of vehicle construction. Paragraphs 68, 69 and 71 of the recent report on the export trade in live food animals indicate a number of items which could be covered in a code of practice for two-tier vehicles carried on roll-on/roll-off vessels.