§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms in the United Kingdom(a) have been and (b) have not been affected by BSE; and how many farms in each category have used the product Phosmet on their farms. [12288]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe number of farms in the United Kingdom which have had a BSE confirmed case was 35,047 as at 17 January 1997.
It is not possible to provide the information in part (b) in the form requested as the number of farms is not static.
Information on use of Phosmet is not centrally available. However, epidemiological studies carried out at the beginning of the BSE epidemic have shown clearly that there is no correlation between the use of agricultural chemicals and the incidence of BSE.