§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will establish an inquiry into the feeding of specified risk material to the hounds of the Exmoor Foxhounds. [123471]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 23 May 2000]: No, because these matters are dealt with by the local authorities who have responsibility for enforcing Specified Risk Material Order 1997.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases there have been of hunts being(a) prosecuted, (b) given a verbal warning and (c) given a written warning over feeding specified risk material to packs of hounds in each of the last three years. [123472]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 23 May 2000]: The feeding of SRM to hounds is classified as a Category 1 failure of the SRM controls. Out of 9802 visits to hunt kennels and knackers yards during the past three years, 43 Category 1 failures were noted. It is not possible to determine how many of these relate to feeding SRM to hounds except at disproportionate cost.
All such failures would be notified in writing, unless the enforcement authority expressly requested that this is not done. Prosecution is a matter for the appropriate local authority.