§ Lord Sandysasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to make an order to permit live fish of the salmon family to enter Great Britain from Northern Ireland; and whether they will make a statement.
§ Lord BelsteadFollowing extensive investigations conducted by our officials, my right honourable friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales have concluded that the present absolute prohibition on imports of live fish of the salmon family under Section 1 of the Diseases of Fish Act 1937 should be relaxed in respect of Northern Ireland. Accordingly my right honourable friends have today laid before Parliament for its approval, a draft statutory instrument entitled The Importation of Live Fish of the Salmon Family Order, which would give effect to this relaxation.
The absolute prohibition under the 1937 Act on imports of live fish of the salmon family has served us well over the years and the Government intend to do nothing which would jeopardise our present relative freedom from serious fish diseases. The relaxation which my right honourable friends propose relates only to live fish of the salmon family coming from regularly tested hatcheries in Northern Ireland. My right honourable friends have concluded that such a relaxation is justified because of the fish disease status of Northern Ireland and the measures it takes to secure that status. When the order comes into force, movements of live fish of the salmon family from Northern Ireland to Great Britain will need to be licensed by the appropriate fisheries department. Licences will be issued only so long as my right honourable friends are satisfied as to the health status of the supplying site.