HC Deb 29 July 1974 vol 878 cc62-3W
Mr. Jopling

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are taken by other EEC countries to limit or control the importation of psittacines.

Mr. Bishop

Each of the other EEC countries operates its own import arrangements. These vary from general prohibition to free entry of accompanied birds for psittacines imported from Great Britain. We have no information about their arrangements for psittacines coming from other countries.

Mr. Jopling

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of fowl pest in agricultural poultry have been attributed to the import of psittacines in the last 10 years, both in the United Kingdom and in other EEC countries.

Mr. Bishop

Information available for Great Britain implicates psittacines in only nine cases of Newcastle disease in agricultural poultry out of more than 11,000 that occurred in the last 10 years. Information is not available for other EEC countries.

Mr. Jopling

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of fowl pest have been recorded in imported psittacines in the past 10 years.

Mr. Bishop

The Agriculture Departments are aware of 16 cases in Great Britain in the past 10 years.