§ Mr. MarlowTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects(a) interim judgment and (b) full judgment in the case on BSE which he is placing before the European Court of Justice. [31828]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe United Kingdom's challenge to the legality of the export ban was placed before the European Court of Justice on 24 May. We have not yet been given a date for the hearing on the application for an interim injunction, but expect this to take place in about three to four weeks, with the ECJ issuing its interim judgment within a further week. Given the usual timetable for this type of case, we expect final judgment to take about 18 months.