§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list by county(a) the total amount, (b) the number of individual payments and (c) the highest and lowest payments made to farmers in respect of foot and mouth disease. [7653]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 15 October 2001]: The figures requested are shown in the table. The information on the counties relates to the address to which compensation has been paid; it may not be the address of the premises where the stock was culled.
837W
Compensation paid for animals culled in foot and mouth epidemic Total amount paid (£) Total number of payments Highest payment (£) Lowest payment (£) Mid Glamorgan 776,961.50 31 221,770.00 15.00 West Glamorgan 963,177.00 7 318,739.00 9,380.00 Gwent 10,737,131.53 178 705,029.75 50.00 Aberdeenshire 1— 1 1— 1— Angus 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 Argyll 1— 1 1— 1— Ayrshire 647,526.36 19 234,885.00 550.00 Banffshire 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 Berkwickshire 3,895,104.42 50 1,045,017.00 90.00 Arran/Bute 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 Caithness 2,696.00 2 1— 1— Clackmannan 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 Dumfries 94,444,874.28 1,045 4,677,100.00 22.00 Dunbarton 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 East Lothian 37,158.00 2 1— 1— Dundee and Fife 1,340.40 2 1— 1— Inverness 29,889.00 3 17,027.00 1,946.00 Kincardineshire 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 Kinross 28,217.00 2 1— 1— Galloway 32,990,979.13 335 1,306,280.00 72.00 Lanarkshire 783,007.96 10 283,600.00 1,860.96 Mid Lothian 1— 1 1— 1— Moray 5,268.00 2 1— 1— Nairn 1— 1— 1— 1— Orkney 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 Peebles 1— 1— 1— 1— Perth 1— 1 1— 1— Renfrewshire 21,954.00 2 1— 1— Western isles 163,237.00 4 133,604.00 150.00 Roxburghshire 15,181,075.21 130 3,235,910.00 75.00 Selkirkshire 643,001.65 8 229,860.00 2,115.00 Shetland 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 Stirlingshire 177,577.00 3 96,777.00 13,730.00 Sutherland 570,867.00 5 440,590.00 25.00 West Lothian 40,765.69 3 26,075.00 1,685.69 Wigtownshire 28,859,555.75 236 2,893,270.00 28.00 1 Payment details have been omitted where the number of payments is so small that they could lead to the identification of individual payments
§ Mr. Roger WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in how many infected premises in Powys in the foot and mouth outbreak samples from animals diagnosed as having foot and mouth disease were taken and tested in a laboratory for foot and mouth disease virus or antibodies; how many of those samples proved positive; and, where samples were not taken, what were the reasons for samples not being collected. [12759]
§ Mr. MorleyThere have been 70 foot and mouth (FMD) infected premises recorded in Powys. Of the 63 premises where samples were taken for laboratory testing, 44 were considered positive for FMD. In the early stages of the outbreak laboratory resources were limited. In cases where clear clinical signs of MID were observed and where disease had already been confirmed in the locality, it is possible that samples were not requested.
Note: A negative laboratory result does not mean that infection was absent. Each case is confirmed on the basis of a clinical diagnosis of FMD by the vet on farm, supported by convincing clinical evidence.
§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many compensation payments in the foot and mouth epidemic were(a) over £1 million, (b) between £500,000 and £1 million, (c) between £250,000 and £500,000 and (d) between £100,000 and £250,000. [15583]
838W
§ Mr. MorleyAs of 20 November, the following payments have been made:
- (a) 41 payments over £1 million;
- (b) 278 payments between £500,000 and £1 million;
- (c) 832 payments between £250,000 and £500,000; and
- (d) 1,633 payments between £100,000 and £250,000.
§ Mr. Keith SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of fraudulent claims have been proven against farmers during the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. [15366]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 16 November 2001]: So far as claims made to the Department are concerned, a number are under investigation but none has so far been proven.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list by county the number of cases of resistance by farmers to culling during the foot and mouth outbreak which led directly to a spread of the virus among livestock. [15036]
§ Mr. MorleyThis information is not available. What is clear is that in some cases the disputes led to delays which in turn may have led to further spread of the disease. I refer to the comments made by my right hon. 839W Friend the Secretary of State during the Second Reading debate on the Animal Health Bill on 12 November 2001, Official Report, columns 577–78.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the findings on the source of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom. [16717]
§ Mr. MorleyA report by the Chief Veterinary Officer will be published. This will be submitted to the independent inquiry, headed by Dr. Anderson, which is looking into the 'lessons to be learned' aspect of the outbreak. It will then be considered as part of the inquiry's overall work. The recommendations of the inquiry are expected to be published during summer 2002.
§ Patrick MercerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress her Department has made with the disposal of carcases infected with foot and mouth disease. [18021]
§ Mr. MorleyThere have been no outbreaks of foot and mouth disease since 30 September so there have been no infected carcases since then for disposal.