§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what conditions the European Commission has imposed on his proposed Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme; and what plans he has made for the allocated funding if the conditions are not met. [134024]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 23 October 2000]: The Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme was developed in close consultation with the National Pig Association and the Meat and Livestock Commission. In order to ensure that the scheme kept within state aid rules, we also kept in close contact with the European Commission. There is no reason to believe that the Commission will impose any conditions over and above what is laid down in its guidelines for state aids of this type. As the industry has been fully involved with the scheme's development and is as flexible as state aid rules and financial propriety will allow, I expect British pig producers to make full use of the funding available.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the total cost to date incurred by pig farmers in complying with BSE regulations in force in the United Kingdom. [134016]
378W
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 23 October 2000]: No such assessment has been made; however, I acknowledge that the pig industry, like other livestock and related industries, has faced increased costs as a result of measures to eliminate BSE from the British cattle herd.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what costs his Department will be seeking from the British Pig Industry Support Group following its court case against the Government. [134017]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 23 October 2000]: The Government are seeking to cover their legal costs in this case. The amount claimed does not include the considerable time that officials in policy divisions spent on drawing up witness statements and compiling relevant documentation.