§ 25. Mr. Robert HicksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current position regarding the lead-contaminated animal feed problem; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerA total of 1,512 farms in England, and a further 156 in Wales remain subject to Livestock restrictions. The Government are doing everything possible to scale down the restrictions as quickly as possible consistent with the need to ensure that the food chain remains fully protected.
34. Mr. John P. SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce an indemnity scheme for farmers suffering financial loss as a result of lead contamination in animal feed.
§ 55. Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to compensate farmers in full for losses resulting from the supply of lead-contaminated feeding stuffs.
§ 67. Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration he has given to the need for financial help for farmers affected by lead in feed contamination.
§ Mr. GummerI have no such plans. There is no statutory provision for Government compensation in such cases. Liability is a matter for the courts to decide in the light of the contractual obligations of feed suppliers, or others, towards individual farmers. I understand that the National Farmers Union has established a co-ordinated procedure which it hopes will assist farmers wishing to pursue claims. The Milk Marketing Board has made loans available to affected milk producers pending a resolution of the issues of liability and costs of disposal. In addition I met senior representatives of the major banks towards the end of last year to explain the situation and to urge them to take a sympathetic view where farmers find themselves with immediate cash flow problems.
§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans the Government have to remove restrictions on movements of sheep as a result of the lead contaminated feed episode.
§ Mr. CurryUnder livestock release scheme II, groups of sheep which did not receive contaminated feed could be cleared from restrictions following confirmatory blood tests.
Until recently, the conditions applying to the release of animals for slaughter under livestock release scheme III had the practical effect of preventing sheep which received contaminated feed from being sold for slaughter. However, as I announced on 1 February, the results of our monitoring and research programme have enabled us to ease significantly the restrictions applying under scheme III. As a result, sheep can now be released for slaughter subject to conditions designed to ensure that liver and kidney do not go for human consumption.
We have also reintroduced scheme II which may allow the further release of groups of sheep which did not receive contaminated feed.
Our monitoring and research programme is continuing and the remaining restrictions will be removed as soon as it is safe to do so.
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§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress he is making towards introducing a scientific programme on contaminated animals to test lead levels in offal and bones, with a view to releasing animals still under restrictions; what investigations he has made of Dutch practices in testing and with what result; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanA monitoring and research programme was begun as soon as the seriousness of the feed contamination incident became apparent in early November. The results obtained so far, which I published on 1 February, have enabled restrictions to be lifted on bone and all offal except kidney and liver. Scientific work is continuing and as soon as results show that it is safe to do so I shall remove all remaining restrictions. Close touch has been maintained with the Dutch authorities throughout this incident and information has been exchanged on a regular basis.