§ Mr. LordTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement giving precise details of how the new animal health trade rules designed to safeguard the United Kingdom's freedom from Aujeszky's disease, recently agreed by the European Community, differ from those which previously protected pig producers.
§ Mr. SoamesIn recent years, very few pigs have been imported into Great Britain and only under trade conditions to ensure that Aujeszky's disease would not be introduced. Now that other member states have accepted our approach in dealing with foot and mouth disease and trade can therefore take place more easily, pigs from other member states will be free to enter Great Britain without entering quarantine. To protect our freedom from Aujeszky's disease, we sought, and have now obtained, Community approval for additional trade guarantees which will apply to imports from other member states from 1 January 1993.