HC Deb 05 June 2000 vol 351 cc33-4W
Mr. Luff

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many(a) pheasant eggs, (b) pheasant chicks, (c) adult pheasants, (d) partridge eggs, (e) partridge chicks and (f) adult partridges were imported into the UK in each year since 1979. [118966]

Ms Quin

Statistics for the import into the United Kingdom (UK) of pheasant eggs, pheasant chicks, adult pheasants, partridge eggs, partridge chicks, and adult partridges are not available for the period 1979 to 1995.

The following figures are derived from the information messages (ANIMO) which European law requires exporting countries to send to the importing country to inform them of the number of animals certified for export in a given consignment. Imports of poultry are divided into the following commodities; day old poultry, hatching eggs, poultry for breeding and production, poultry for slaughter and poultry for re-stocking supplies of game. In European law pheasants and partridges are included in 'poultry'. However, ANIMOS do not give separate commodity codes for poultry species.

The number of live day-old chicks, hatching eggs and adult poultry imported into the UK in each year since 1996, is given in the tables.

Imports into UK from European Union
Number of hatching eggs Number of chicks Number of adult poultry
1996 12,052,072 4,963,947 121,163
1997 38,458,912 14,992,038 586,629
1998 19,679,634 5,182,966 11,486,664
1999 20,549,545 39,907,011 596,265
2000 5,627,282 2,075,152 30,026

Consignments of poultry from third countries are subject to a MAFF import licence. The following figures are derived from licences issued for consignments of live adult pheasants and pheasant chicks into the UK from third countries. Our records indicate that there have been no imports of pheasant eggs, partridge eggs, partridge chicks or adult partridges.

Imports into UK from third countries
Number of pheasant chicks Number of adult pheasants
1996 0 26
1997 0 8
1998 0 69
1999 3,000 3
2000 0 0

The figures given in the tables are provisional and subject to validation.