§ Mr. WalterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultation he has had with the cattle breeding industry regarding artificial insemination; and when he proposes to bring forward new regulations. [45026]
§ Mr. RookerA draft of new Artificial Insemination of Cattle Regulations was issued on 6 November 1997 for public consultation. A meeting to discuss responses to the consultation was held with interested parties on 20 March 1998. I regret, however, that the Department had to suspend work on the draft Regulations in April in order to allow the redeployment of staff to work connected with the relaxation of the EC beef export ban. I should536W emphasise that this is only a temporary step: the aim is to resume work on the draft Regulations in the autumn, subject to priorities at that time.