Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total cost to public funds of the BSE crisis in Britain since 20 March 1996 broken down by category; and what proportion of this total he estimates will be recovered from the European Community. [15489]
§ Mrs. BrowningFor details of the cost of the BSE crisis, I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 3 February 1997,Official Report, column 513. The proportion of this cost to be recovered from the EU is estimated at approximately 45 per cent.
Mr. WilliamsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total amount paid in compensation to the beef industry in Britain for price damage since 20 March 1996. [15488]
§ Mr. BaldryCompensation is not paid to the beef industry for price damage. For details of expenditure on BSE eradication and compensation schemes, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Palriamentary Secretary on 3 February 1997,Official Report, column 513.
Mr. WilliamsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle have been slaughtered to date under the over-30 months scheme; and what is the average amount per cow paid in compensation to farmers. [15486]
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§ Mr. BaldryMore than 1.25 million cattle have now been slaughtered under the over-30-months scheme. For an average cull cow weighing 560 kg, the amount paid to producers, depending on the date on which the animal was slaughtered, is:
£ 3 May 1996 to 30 June 1996 479.64 1 July 1996 to 20 October 1996 466.93 21 October 1996 to 31 October 1996 420.22 1 November 1996 to 31 January 1997 408.18 1 February 1997 to 387.18
Mr. WilliamsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact on(a) farmers' incomes and (b) the economy of rural areas of the European ban on beef exports. [15478]
§ Mr. BoswellThe European Union ban on exports of UK beef, together with the fall in consumption on the UK market, is estimated to have reduced the value of UK cattle sales by approximately £800 million in 1996. However, this reduction in revenue has been largely offset by measures put in place by the Government to assist the industry.
The Ministry is commissioning an independent study to provide a comprehensive assessment of the economic impact of BSE across the whole UK economy and within particular regions.
Mr. WilliamsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for a further selective cull based on the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee's report on maternal transmission. [15882]
§ Mr. BaldrySEAC has asked for more work to be done regarding the study on maternal transmission before making final recommendations to the Government. We shall consider the implications for the selective cull once we have SEAC's advice.
§ Sir Ralph HowellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of confirmed cases of BSE in each month in 1995 to 1996. [15873]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe following table shows the monthly breakdown of confirmed BSE cases for 1995 to 1996:
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1995 1996 January 1,720 920 February 2,035 1,192 March 1,629 847 April 1,173 592 May 1,403 629 June 1,232 1,026 July 1,266 801 August 1,094 541 September 956 655 October 1,054 673 November 1,107 594 December 784 268
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the number of carcases of slaughtered cattle currently in container ships awaiting disposal. [16529]
§ Mr. BaldryNone.