§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will allow representatives from animal welfare groups to inspect the control methods used by his Department on cattle being used for research into bovine spongiform encephalopathy at the experimental husbandry farms at Boxworth, Drayton, Gleadthorpe, High Mowthorpe and Redesdale.
§ Mr. MacleanWe welcome the interests of any responsible animal welfare groups and would be willing to make arrangements for them to visit the farms referred to; but like any professionally organised research and development undertaking they cannot accommodate unscheduled visitors.
Although the cattle at the EHFs mentioned are part of a research programme into bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), none is affected by the disease. In the event of any of these cattle showing signs of infection with BSE they will be dealt with under the procedures laid down in the BSE order, but in the interim all are subject to the normal codes of practice for animal welfare and to ADAS's normal high standards of animal husbandry.