§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will remove the interim measures on the movement and sale of cattle and sheep in Devon. [43509]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 15 March 2002]: The Interim rules for livestock movements, which my noble Friend, the Lord Whitty announced on 5 February 2002, allow greater flexibility for farmers to move their animals. However, there is a low but very real risk that there are still hidden pockets of live virus on a few premises or circulating at a low level in a handful of sheep flocks. This could be reactivated if animals are under stress, for example during lambing, so precautionary controls need to be kept in place.
A copy of the Veterinary Basis for the Interim measures has been placed in the Libraries of the House and is available on the DEFRA website. The measures are expected to remain in operation until November 2002. However, we expect to be able to relax some aspects of the regime during the course of the year if there is no further outbreak.