HC Deb 14 January 2003 vol 397 cc538-9W
Mr. Peter Duncan

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many inspectors are employed by her Department to validate claims for(a) slaughter premium and (b) beef special premium scheme. [90393]

Alun Michael

In England, all on-farm bovine inspections take place during a single combined visit to a producer's premises. The actual inspections included will depend on the subsidy schemes against which the producer claims. 247 inspectors in the Rural Payments Agency's Inspectorate are trained to carry out inspections across the range of bovine schemes. These inspectors also carry out inspections under a wide range of other livestock and land based schemes.