§ Mr. Robert Banksasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many sheep grading inspectors are employed by his Department; and what is the annual cost of their employment and overheads.
§ Mr. GummerThe grading of sheep under the sheep variable premium scheme is one of the technical functions performed by the fatstock staff of the Meat and Livestock Commission, acting as agents for the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce. During 1985–86, the MLC's fatstock staff averaged 680. The intervention board paid the MLC approximately £9.5 million during 1985–86 for agency services, but it is not possible to say how much of that was attributable to sheep certification work. My Ministry's own Fatstock Inspectorate, whose duties include monitoring the sheep grading work carried out by the MLC staff in England and Wales, has a total complement of 11. The cost of the inspectorate salaries and overheads was approximately £260,000 in 1985–86.
§ Mr. Robert Banksasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has of the percentage of sheep rejected for subsidy over the most convenient recent period.
§ Mr. GummerDuring the year April 1985 to March 1986, 7 per cent. of sheep presented in Great Britain were rejected for variable premium on liveweight certification and 5 per cent. were rejected at deadweight certification.