§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential for recovery in the beef export market; and if she will calculate the percentage take-up of British beef exports in individual(a) European Union countries and (b) countries outside the European Union. [11418]
§ Mr. MorleyIt is not possible to make a realistic assessment because recovery of our beef exports to EU and other countries depends on many factors including the number of plants which seek approval to export under 921W the Date-Based Export Scheme (DBES); the conditions of DBES; the results of our testing programme, access to markets in France and other countries which currently ban British beef; consumer confidence in target countries and currency values. The Government will continue to work closely with the industry and others to facilitate exports as far as possible.