§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the National Assembly of Wales about the discovery of potato ring rot in mid-Wales. [141163]
§ Mr. TouhigMy right hon. Friend has regular meetings with the First Secretary and I meet the Assembly Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside to discuss a variety of issues, including the recent outbreak of potato ring rot.
The Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate and the Welsh Assembly took swift action to contain the outbreak following it"s discovery, during a routine annual check. Notices were issued under the Plant Health Order, stopping all movements of potatoes from the farm and three additional farms in England that had recently taken a delivery of seed potatoes from the infected farm.
The variety sent to the English farms has tested negative for ring rot but will not be used as seed as a precautionary measure. Tests have now been completed on 1,500 tonnes of potatoes at Middlewood Farm. Two stocks associated with the variety "Provento" have been found to be infected. The remaining 20 stocks of other varieties of seed potatoes, at the outbreak farm have been found free from potato ring rot.
It is a credit to the systems that the Welsh Assembly and UK Government have in place that the disease was identified during a routine check and that the swift action taken by all concerned successfully contained and managed the outbreak.