§ Miss Fookesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that all the safeguards relating to the export of live animals for slaughter or further fattening are being observed (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in Europe.
§ Mrs. FennerWe are satisfied that the provisions of the Export of Animals (Protection) Order 1981 are being properly applied in Great Britian. Once food animals have arrived on the Continent, they are protected by the national measures adopted by the member states under EC directives 77/489 and 81/389 which govern the welfare of animals during international transport. We have no evidence that the authorities in member states to which food animals are exported from Great Britain are failing to fulfil their obligations.
§ Miss Fookesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many consignments of live animals have been followed by officials of his Department to their destination to check the welfare of the animals in the last year for which figures are available.
§ Mrs. FennerNone. There are no provisions in Community measures for the following of consignments of animals in international transit by the authorities of the exporting country. Implementation and enforcement of the appropriate directives within member states' territories is a matter for their own authorities. However, as I said in my reply of 27 January to my hon. Friend the Member for Torridge and Devon, West (Sir P. Mills) we have recently arranged with the French and Italian authorities that my Department's veterinarians will accompany some consignments right through to their final destinations in Italy as part of a special scheme which has been designed to monitor and collect information on the conditions in which the animals travel.
§ Miss Fookesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many consignments of live animals for slaughter or further fattening have been exported in the last year for which figures are available.
§ Mrs. FennerWithin the time available, it has not been possible to assemble information on the numbers of consignments. However, in 1983, the total numbers of food animals inspected and certified as fit for transportation prior to export were as follows.
For immediate slaughter For further fattening Cattle 65 — Calves 487 210,064 Sheep 34,674 10,901 Pigs — 14,149
§ Miss Fookesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will seek to ascertain how many consignments of live animals from Great Britain have been followed by French officials during journeys across France in the last year for which figures are available.
111W
§ Mrs. FennerNo, but we shall continue to work closely with the French authorities.
§ Miss Fookesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the shortest distance to be travelled by animals being exported live from Great Britain to the Italian border; and how long such a journey might take if all safeguards are observed.
§ Mrs. FennerThe journey would be of some 600 miles from the port of disembarkation. But the precise mileage and the journey time would clearly depend on a number of factors, including the route chosen and the arrangements for feeding, watering and resting the animals on the way.