§ Mr HagueTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact upon business of the ban on pigswill; and what compensation her Department is providing to pigswill producers to compensate them for losses brought about by the ban. [85082]
§ Mr. MorleyIn March 2001 during the Foot and Mouth outbreak, the proposal to ban swill feeding was the subject of a full public consultation and Regulatory Impact Assessment. A copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment which accompanied the Animal By Products (Amendment) Order 2002 (S.I. 2001 No. 1704) is available in the Library of the House.
The Government does not intend to compensate pig farmers for changes to the feed material available for their livestock following the introduction of the ban on swill feeding. However the Government is providing free business advice to those affected by the ban.