§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has made in the628W Council of Ministers to ban veal crates in the European Union.
§ Mrs. BrowningIn negotiations leading to the adoption of Council directive 91/629/EEC on the welfare of calves, the United Kingdom pressed hard for a text which would rule out the veal crate as a production system. A text falling short of this objective was adopted by majority vote with the United Kingdom voting against. It has remained our objective since then to get this matter re-considered.
§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reasons he has not relied upon article 3b of the treaty of Rome to impose a ban on the export of calves for veal production.
§ Mrs. BrowningLegal advice is that recourse to article 36 would not be possible for this purpose. There is Community legislation occupying the field and a ban on the export of calves for veal production would not be justifiable as proportionate in relation to animal welfare objectives.