HC Deb 18 March 1994 vol 239 c901W
Mr. Duncan Smith

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what would be the annual cost to the United Kingdom producers of removing quantitative restrictions, customs duties and import levies on the agricultural products listed in annex to article 21 and protocol 3 of the European agreements with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Mr. Soames

The provisions of Article 21 and protocol No. 3 of each of these agreements are already in place, along with all other trade arrangements set out in the Europe agreements. There is no evidence that those have had a direct impact on the costs of United Kingdom producers of the commodities concerned. If markets for

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Total
Flocks slaughtered
Layers 81 68 62 53 8 0 272
Layer breeders 1 4 9 3 3 1 21
Broiler breeders 3 27 30 17 17 6 100
Total 85 99 101 73 28 7 393
Birds slaughtered
Layers 1,012,193 693,855 257,038 356,477 20,691 0 2,340,254
Layer breeders 6,043 17,573 43,320 13,614 22,535 3,036 106,121
Broiler breeders 21,789 249,016 381,265 169,930 185,002 58,050 1,065,052
Total 1,040,025 960,444 681,623 540,021 228,228 61,086 3,511,427

Mr. Martyn Jones

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money has been paid since 31 March 1993, as compensation to farmers for slaughtered poultry; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Soames

Since 31 March 1993, £436,431 has been paid in compensation for poultry flocks compulsorily slaughtered because of confirmed salmonella infection.

In July 1993, the Government announced that they had reviewed the existing legislative provisions for compensation in respect of slaughtered poultry and concluded that they found an unsatisfactory basis for dealing with poultry slaughtered because of salmonella infection. They therefore proposed to amend the Animal Health Act 1981, following consultation with industry, so as to provide a clear statutory basis for the payment of compensation for salmonella infected birds. In the meantime, the Government would pay full compensation for all birds compulsorily slaughtered because of salmonella. Payments made to all owners of flocks slaughtered since the policy began in March 1989 were adjusted in August 1993 at a cost of £1,048,768.