§ Dr. PalmerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will announce the results of the review of the operation of laws designed to safeguard the welfare of live animals destined for export from the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [15318]
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§ Mr. MorleyThe supervision of exports must not only be the best possible but also be seen to be the best. The current system lends itself to criticism. We intend to change the system so that the Department can nominate veterinary surgeons from a special panel and pay them from a charge on the exporter. Instructions to veterinary surgeons will be clarified and additional training given. We are in discussions with the professional veterinary bodies to get the details in place as soon as possible.
§ Dr. PalmerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many live(a) sheep and (b) pigs have been exported from the United Kingdom since 1 January for (i) slaughter, (ii) further fattening and (iii) breeding.[15317]
§ Mr. RookerThe following table, derived from Departmental computer records of animal health export certifications, shows the number of live sheep and pigs exported from the United Kingdom, from January—October 1997 inclusive in the categories requested.
For slaughter For further fattening For breeding sheep 28,000 288,200 1,200 Pigs 71,000 11,700 138,700 The information given above is provisional and subject to change.