§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the measures being taken by the Government to combat the spread of rabbit haemorrhagic disease in the United Kingdom. [128310]
§ Mr. Nick BrownViral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits (RVHD) is endemic in wild and domestic rabbits in the UK. While the Government have no control measures against the spread of RVHD in the wild rabbit population, it remains an offence under the Specified Animal Pathogens Order 1998 to introduce live RVHD virus into rabbits deliberately, except under licence. The equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland is the Specified Animal Pathogens Order (Northern Ireland) 1999.
The most effective way of controlling the disease in domestic or farmed rabbits is by vaccination.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the research projects being(a) carried out and (b) sponsored by his Department into rabbit haemorrhagic disease, and state the nature of each project. [128309]
§ Mr. Nick BrownThere are currently no research projects on viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits in the MAFF funded research programme. Work was done at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency between 1992 and 1996 and several scientific papers were published from this research.
I understand that research is being done in some EU member states where commercial rabbit breeding is on a larger scale than in the UK. The Institute of Virology at Oxford University is also engaged in current research, but this is not funded by MAFF.