§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which interested organisations besides the NFU he has contacted concerning the level and costs of regulation affecting farming in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) other member states in the last 12 months. [106868]
§ Ms QuinThe Department consults all interested organisations on regulatory proposals for which it is responsible as a matter of course. Further, a wide range of interested organisations responded to our open invitation to identify regulatory burdens on agriculture as part of the review launched in September 1999. The three Red Tape working groups we set up between them consulted over 300 organisations; the full lists of consultees are appended to their reports available in the Library of the House.
Consultation with organisations in other Member States is a matter for national authorities. However, we maintain regular contact with Commissioner Fischler and European ministerial colleagues.