§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures she has put in place to assess the impact of Brazilian turkey imports into the United Kingdom on the UK's turkey producing industry. [138037]
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§ Mr. BradshawAdditional duties can be imposed on poultry meat imports from outside the Community if prices are unrealistically low and are threatening market stability. However, under WTO rules these additional duties can be applied only to a limited number of chicken and turkey products. Action in this area is taken at EU level.
Earlier this year, the European Commission began investigating industry concerns over the misdescription of basted turkeys as a means of evading proper duties. As part of this, we submitted information on turkey imports into the U.K. Those investigations are continuing.
§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the volume in tonnes of(a) poultry meat produced in the UK, (b) poultry meat produced in the UK and sold at UK retail outlets and (c) poultry meat produced in the UK and exported overseas was in the last year for which figures are available. [138032]
§ Mr. BradshawThe information requested is as follows:
(a) 1,534 thousand tonnes of poultry meat was produced in the UK in 2002 (the last year for which figures are available).
(b) There are no figures available on the volume of UK poultry meat that is sold at UK retail outlets. However, the volume of UK production less exports which was 1,320 thousand tonnes in 2002 provides an indication of the volume of UK production sold onto the UK market (including retail, catering and the food processing sector).
(c) 214 thousand tonnes of poultry meat (carcase weight equivalent) was exported from the UK in 2002 (the last year for which figures are available). This will mainly be of UK origin but may include some re-exports of imported poultry meat.
§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what mechanisms are in place to ensure that poultry meat imports from(a) the European Union and (b) third country suppliers meet the same (a) quality and (b) health and safety requirements that poultry meat producers in the UK are required to meet; [138081]
(2) what procedures are in place to assess whether egg products imported to the United Kingdom meet the same quality standards as domestic egg products. [138086]
§ Mr. BradshawAll consignments of poultry meat and egg products imported into the UK from other EU member states must have been produced in accordance with the requirements laid down in Community legislation. Imports from third countries must have been produced to standards at least equivalent to those in the legislation.
All consignments of poultry meat and egg products imported into the UK from third countries must enter at designated UK Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) where they are subject to veterinary inspections. All consignments are subject to documentary and identity checks and at least 50 per cent. of consignments undergo 636W physical checks. These ensure import conditions are met and that the products remain in a satisfactory condition during transport.
In line with Community rules, random spot checks at destination may be carried out on consignments of poultry meat and egg products imported into the UK from other EU member states.
§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support the Government provides to(a) poultry meat and (b) egg producers. [138082]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Government do not provide any specific support for either of these sectors. The Government readily acknowledges that both industries have excellent track records of innovation and market orientation. From their perspective, the principal need is for Government to avoid imposing unnecessary burdens or obstacles, while ensuring that environmental and animal health and welfare standards, among others, meet public requirements.