§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many of the personnel licensed to export livestock from(a) Sheerness and (b) Grimsby have previous convictions for offences relating to the welfare of livestock.
§ Mrs. BrowningThere is no requirement for such personnel to be licensed. We are aware that some involved recently in the export of animals may have past convictions for welfare offences, but prohibition from engaging in the trade is not a penalty provided for by statute.
Before any consignment leaves Great Britain, the Ministry carries out checks to determine that the facilities for the export of the livestock are sufficient to ensure that the welfare of the animals can be properly safeguarded throughout the journey.
§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many times the certification procedures relating to(a) the live export and (b) the live transport of livestock have been breached in the last year.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe detection of breaches, and the initiation of prosecution action where appropriate, is the responsibility of local authorities. No central figures are kept on the number of breaches.