§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent developments have taken place in tackling water mark disease and its effects on cricket bat production.
§ Mr. MacleanA cricket bat willow research group was established on 3 May. This includes representatives of the growers, merchants and manufacturers, as well as representatives from the university of East Anglia, Essex county council and the Forestry Commission. The group has agreed that a voluntary levy should be raised on the sale of cricket bat clefts to fund research into methods of controlling watermark disease and to contribute to expenditure on inspection services.