§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the development of the research programme on the control of sheep scab and the use of organophosphorus dips. [14420]
§ Mrs. BrowningMy Department has just approved two research projects to investigate alternatives to chemicals such as organophosphorus dips for the control of sheep scab. These will run for three years and cost about £1.2 million. They will form a significant addition to the existing research programme and will be directed to developing and testing new approaches to the identification of possible sheep scab vaccines and identifying the most effective methods of application. Additionally the research will develop models to maximise the impact of future control strategies.