Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the exports of British beef to other EU countries. [137028]
573W
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 8 November 2000]: The quantity and destination of exports from the UK are commercially confidential as only two slaughterhouses are currently approved to export beef under the Data-based Export Scheme (DBES). In line with the Strategy for Agriculture and the improving BSE situation in the UK, we are continuing to press the Commission to make proposals to relax export controls, especially in Northern Ireland.
The European Commission's case against France in the European Court of Justice for failure to lift its ban on imports of British beef is nearing the end of the written part of the procedure.