§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to ensure that diseased potatoes from elsewhere in the European Community are not imported into Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [13448]
§ Mr. AncramCouncil directive 77/93/EEC, implemented in Northern Ireland by the Plant Health Order (Northern Ireland) 1993, sets out the plant health requirements which have to be met before potatoes can be moved into Northern Ireland.
Commission directive 93/17/EEC, implemented in Northern Ireland by the Seed Potatoes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994, provides a series of measures which set high-quality standards for seed potatoes being imported into Northern Ireland.
81WMore recently, as a result of outbreaks of the potato disease brown rot in the Netherlands, the EU has laid down requirements to be met by the Dutch authorities to prevent the spread of the disease, Commission decision 95/506/EC. The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland used enabling powers provided by this Commission decision to require the pre-notification of all Dutch potatoes being imported into Northern Ireland. Should any Dutch potatoes be imported they will be subject to detention, inspection and testing.
§ Mr. RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in theOfficial Report the tonnage of seed potatoes exported from Northern Ireland to (a) Great Britain and (b) elsewhere from the (i) 1994 crop, (ii) 1995 crop, or his estimate of the 1995 crop, (iii) 1985 crop and (iv) the 1975 crop. [13449]
§ Mr. AncramThe information is as follows:
Tonnage shipped to: Crop year Great Britain Elsewhere 1975 10,884 39,358 1985 7,453 42,348 1994 4,167 21,163 1995 14,000 120,000 1 Estimated.