HL Deb 20 December 2001 vol 630 cc85-6WA
Lord Jopling

asked Her Majesty's Government:

  1. (a) in which parishes in Thirsk to which the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs referred on 12 November (HC Deb, col. 578) were 55 appeals lodged against the contiguous cull for foot and mouth disease;
  2. (b) in which parishes were the 29 appeals upheld by the divisional veterinary manager and the nine cases where infection was subsequently revealed;
  3. (c) how many cases and in which parishes in Thirsk was additional contiguous culling triggered; and involving how many animals;
  4. (d) where were the parishes where two infected premises were found following the rejection of appeals by the Government's veterinary staff; and
  5. (e) in which parishes did they lead to further culling on additional farms. (HL1487)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)

Since my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spoke on 12 November, more work has been done to clarify and tidy up the databases from which the information she provided was taken. The 55 appeals that she quoted were in the whole of North Yorkshire, rather than in the Thirsk area. The number of appeals upheld by the divisional veterinary manager is 26 and not 29. The following is the correct information in relation to these appeals.

(a) The parishes where the 55 appeals were lodged against the contiguous cull were Bainbridge. Belbusk, Bishopdale, Boltby, Bolton by Bowland, Burnside, Cracoe, East/West Barnby, Embsay, Felixkirk, Fryup, Giggleswick, Gisburn, Great Fryupdale, Halton West, Hawnby, Hebden, Hetton, Hutton Mulgrave, Kepwick, Kirby Knowle, Kirby Malham, Lealholm, Linton, Lythe, Malham, Nether Silton, Over Silton, Rathmell, Rimington, Silsden, Sowerby, Sutton under Whitestonecliff, Thornton in Craven, Ugthorpe, West Bradford and Wigglesworth.

(b) 26 appeals were upheld by the divisional veterinary manager. These were in the parishes of Bellbusk, Bishopdale, Boltby, Bolton by Bowland, Cracoe, Gisburn, Great Fryupdale, Halton West, Hebden, Kepwick, Kirby Knowle, Lealholm, Linton, Lythe, Nether Silton, Over Silton, Rathmell, Silsden, Sowerby, West Bradford and Wigglesworth.

Of these appeals there were seven cases where infection was subsequently diagnosed and infected premises declared. These were in the parishes of Belbusk, Bishopdale, Halton West, Kepwick, Lealholm, Linton and Nether Silton.

(c) In three of these seven cases there were no dangerous contacts or contiguous premises. In relation to the other four cases, culling was triggered in the parishes of Bainbridge, Bishopdale, Cracoe, Fryup, Glaisdale, Grassington, Kirby Sigston, Knayton, Linton, Nether Silton, Over Silton and Thoralby and a total of 581 cattle and 7,839 sheep were culled.

(d) Infection was confirmed in four cases following the rejection of appeals by the Government's veterinary staff in North Yorkshire and infected premises were confirmed in the parishes of Felixkirk, Kepwick, Lealholm and Sutton under Whitestonecliff.

(e) Two of these four cases led to further culling on farms in the parishes of Bagby, Borrowby, Felixkirk, Great Fryupdale, Lealholm, Sandhutton, South Kilvington, Sowerby and Sutton.