§ 21. Mr. LuffTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact of the fall in domestic consumption of beef and the European Union world-wide ban on British beef exports on the United Kingdom dairy farming sector. [27479]
§ Mr. BaldryThe crisis of confidence in British beef and the EU ban on UK beef exports will have affected the dairy sector in several ways. Continental markets for surplus dairy calves have been lost completely and markets at home for beef calves and store cattle knocked back. As a result of the export ban, and national measures to keep out of the human food chain meat from animals aged more than 30 months, there is no longer any market outlet for dairy cows which have reached the end of their productive lives. Measures which provide alternative outlets for male pure-bred dairy calves and cattle aged over 30 months have announced by my right hon. and learned Friend on the 28 March and 16 April respectively.