§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will list(a) the occasions when and (b) the reasons why (i) Oldlands Pig Unit in Wiltshire and (ii) Shoddesden Pig Unit in Hampshire were (A) not accepted onto and (B) suspended from Farm Assurance schemes in the past five years; [45153]
(2) if Farm Assurance scheme inspectors have visited pig units at (a) Oldlands Farm, Wiltshire and (b) Shoddesden, Hampshire; and what assessments have been made; [45150]
(3) on what grounds pig units of (a) Oldlands Farm, Wiltshire and (b) Shoddesden, Hampshire were suspended from the Farm Assurance scheme in (i) July 2000, (ii) February 2001, (iii) June 2001 and (iv) other times in the last four years. [45152]
§ Margaret Beckett[holding answer 21 March 2002]: The main pig assurance scheme was originally established by the Government. However, it was taken over by the industry in September 1996 and has since been run as a private initiative by Assured British Pigs (APB). Membership of the scheme is voluntary.
Following the privatisation of the scheme, the State Veterinary Service (SVS) continued to provide inspection services until September 1999 when its contract with ABP ended. Since then inspections have been carried out by a private independent inspection body and the Government have had no role in the operation of the scheme.
Prior to the ending of the contract the Shoddesden pig unit was inspected by a State Veterinary Service veterinary officer in connection with an application for it to be registered under the ABP scheme. The veterinary officer advised the applicant of action that would need to be taken in order to meet the scheme's requirements. We understand from ABP that the Shoddesden pig unit was subsequently registered under the scheme in March 1999 after the work requested by the veterinary officer had been confirmed as complete.
The SVS was not involved in subsequent APB inspections of the unit.
We are not aware of any application for the Oldlands pig unit to be registered under the APB scheme.