§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further measures he intends to take to stop the spread of rhizomania in sugar beet; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryUntil this year there had been only one outbreak of rhizomania in this country and we applied restrictions to the farm concerned to isolate the infection and prevent it from spreading. Immediate measures included destruction of the infected crop and restrictions on movements on and off the farm. Longer-term measures570W involve restrictions on the pattern of farming. This year there have been two further outbreaks and we are applying similar measures. We are currently considering the precise extent of the longer-term restrictions in consultation with the farmers concerned.
To prevent the introduction of rhizomania to this country we operate a range of statutory controls on imports. These include restrictions on imports of beet seeds and plants, a requirement that imported seed potatoes must come from rhizomania-free areas, a strict limitation on the amount of soil attached to imported vegetables and regulation of the disposal of waste soil following the commercial processing of the vegetables. We keep this range of measures under careful review, but I do not consider that any additional restrictions are justified at present.