§ Jackie BallardTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about technical support at BCMS for farmers applying for cattle passports; and if he will make a statement. [148429]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 2 February 2001]: A number of requests and suggestions for an increase in general advisory support have been received in recent months from the BCMS industry forum, the industry-Government working group on livestock identification and directly from producers. The BCMS telephone helpline offers support on a very wide range of issues. Additionally, BCMS publish an extensive range of free publications on various aspects of cattle identification. These, together with advice from field officers on farm inspections, offer a good level of general advisory support to farmers. We expect that the number of farmers contacting BCMS by electronic means to increase significantly through the launch of our new website.