§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the penalties that should be applied to egg producers in breach of the EU's planned rules on compulsory marking. [103761]
§ Margaret BeckettAs far as possible, the relevant enforcement bodies seeks to encourage compliance with the egg marketing legislation through good communication and advice. In common with other aspects of the rules, where a minor discrepancy is discovered, producers will be given guidance on how to comply, and a reminder may be included on the inspection report. In more serious cases, Notices of Contravention will be served requiring compliance before the product can be marketed. Prosecution is normally only considered where serious breaches are found, or where there has been non co-operation in putting things right. In the event of a prosecution, the level of penalty is a matter for the court to decide but the maximum penalty for breaches of the egg marketing regulations is £5,000 per offence.
3W
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 25 February 2003,Official Report, column 455W, on egg marking, what assessment she has made of the costs to small egg producers of complying with the new rules on marking. [103740]
§ Margaret BeckettCompliance costs will vary considerably depending on producers' individual circumstances. For producers selling their own ungraded eggs direct to consumers, there will be no additional costs as they fall outside the scope of these rules. Similarly, producers selling eggs through larger registered packing stations will be unaffected as the marking will take place at the packing station. For those producers who package eggs on farm for subsequent marketing, the cost will depend on the size of throughput and the degree of sophistication of the stamping equipment. For very small producers, a hand stamp can be purchased for a few pounds, and the time costs should be minimal. For larger producers, the cost of automated stamping machinery starts at between £2,000 and £3,000.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy to introduce the compulsory marking of eggs from birds other than hens. [103759]
§ Margaret BeckettAt present there are no plans at either EU or UK level to seek to introduce the compulsory marking of eggs from birds other than hens.