§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance is provided by his Department for the export of English beef to the EU. [105032]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 17 January 2000]: Officials have sent detailed guidance on the Date-based Export Scheme (DBES) to all abattoirs that may be eligible to participate in the Scheme and set up a helpline to give advice. The Government have also spent more than £1 million on developing the scheme, including the IT systems which are necessary to support it, which will not be recovered through charges. Close contact is maintained with the English slaughterhouse participating in DBES and a temporary rebate has been applied to charges for checking the export eligibility of animals.