§ Mrs. WiseTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his letter of 10 July, what considerations led him to indicate that commercial confidentiality applies to sightings of the New Zealand flatworm. [35052]
§ Mr. BoswellAlthough the Department has no statutory responsibilities for New Zealand flatworm, it is seeking to give some publicity to the risks which the flatworm poses and to give advice on how they can be minimised. Such advice is particularly relevant to commercial plant growers, who may act as a route for the flatworm to be spread. It is not, however, the Department's intention to publicise information with commercial implications for individual growers. Such publicity could, for example, affect customer attitudes whether or not the grower had taken steps to eliminate the problem. It would also be inappropriate to give details of reports of the New Zealand flatworm when many of these lack official confirmation.