HC Deb 09 July 1996 vol 281 cc160-1W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what steps he has taken to(a) consult law officers and (b) obtain counsel's opinion on the claim of the EC that it has the power to ban British beef exports to markets outside the EU; [24880]

(2) what assessment he has made of the liability of the EC for (a) actions at law and (b) payment of compensation from their imposition of a ban on the export of British beef. [24882]

Mrs. Browning

This Government have challenged the ban on the export of British beef—as set out in Commission decision 96/239/EC—in the European Court of Justice. A decision on this issue will take some time, so a petition for interim relief from the ban has also been entered. The Government will be seeking costs but not damages from the court.

In the meantime, the United Kingdom is striving to work with our European colleagues to lift the ban by implementing the framework programme as described to the House on 24 June 1996, Official Report, columns 21–22.

Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations were made to the countries which had a ban on the import of United Kingdom beef before 20 March; and what indications were given in each case of the action that would be necessary to secure the lifting of the ban. [30358]

Mrs. Browning

I very much regret that the hon. Member has had to wait so long for a reply.

Thirty seven countries had imposed a ban on the import of United Kingdom beef prior to 20 March. Details of the specific reasons given for the introduction of these bans, and of the representations made by the UK Government to each individual country, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, vigorous lobbying to persuade the authorities concerned to lift the ban has taken place in all cases.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost, in terms of beef product export sales, of bans on British beef introduced by non-EU countries in each of the last seven years. [29617]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 16 May 1996]: Any estimate of the value of beef export sales which might have been achieved had the bans imposed by a number of non-EU countries not been imposed would be highly speculative. The value of UK bovine products exports to non-EU countries would have been significantly higher than the £62.6 million they were worth last year.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will itemise all import restrictions imposed by Argentina on the importation of beef meat and beef meat products from the United Kingdom. [29620]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 16 May 1996]: I very much regret that the hon. Member has had to wait so long for a reply.

My officials were advised by the British embassy, Buenos Aires, in August 1991 that the Argentine authorities had imposed a temporary ban on the import of all meat and meat products derived from bovines, ovines and caprines from the UK. This ban has continued despite vigorous lobbing to persuade the Argentine authorities to lift the restrictions.