§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the Federation of Fresh Meat Wholesalers about(a) their views on and (b) the willingness of their members to participate in, the date-based export scheme; and if he will make a statement. [70867]
§ Mr. RookerMy right hon. Friend the Minister met the Federation of Fresh Meat Wholesalers on 12 January and I met them today. Officials have had a number of meetings with them about the Date-Based Export Scheme and the Federation wrote on 22 January responding to the consultation on our proposals for operating the scheme.
The Federation has expressed reservations about the attractiveness of the scheme to potential exporters. They see the requirement for plants to be dedicated to the slaughter of export eligible animals as a major drawback and have advised that their members are unwilling to commit to this requirement. They suggest that it will not be possible for the industry to export profitably under the scheme as it is currently planned to operate.
Nevertheless, the Federation recognises the importance of setting a date from which the UK is allowed to resume exports. I agree with them that the scheme rules are difficult and we expect the uptake to be low initially. But 184W given the current climate of concern about BSE in other Member States, I believe then we could not have negotiated a more liberal scheme.