§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment his Department has made of the extent of farmers concealing incidents of BSE infection; and if he will make a statement. [18147]
§ Mrs. BrowningThere is no evidence to suggest that farmers are concealing BSE suspect cases. The temptation to do so would be greatest on holdings where no previous BSE case had occurred, as it is these farmers who might expect to have the most to lose by reporting a case. Statistical data give no indication that this is happening. In Great Britain in 1995, 1,351 cases were reported on holdings with no previous BSE case; in 1996, 789 cases were reported; and as at 28 February 1997, 72 cases had been reported. This is in line with the overall year-on-year decline in the epidemic as a result of controls on animal feed.
571W
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many new cases of BSE infection have been reported in each of the last 48 months categorised by area; and if he will make a statement. [18148]
§ Mrs. BrowningDetails of confirmed cases of BSE by date of restriction for the last 48 months categorised by county are being placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of concealment over BSE infection(a) are currently under investigation and (b) have been reported in each of the past two years; of those investigated, how many and what percentage have resulted in (i) prosecution and (ii) conviction; and if he will make a statement. [18146]
§ Mrs. BrowningNone.
§ Mr. Temple-MorrisTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the Government's current estimate of the additional public expenditure attributable to BSE in(a) 1996–97 and (b) 1997–98; and what estimate he has made of the amount of this expenditure which will be reimbursed from the European Union's budget. [18432]
§ Mrs. BrowningDetails of BSE-related expenditure and receipts for the years in question are as follows:
£ million 1996–97 1997–98 Estimated expenditure 1,370 1,010 Estimated recoveries from EU 340 590