§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much taxpayers' money was spent by the British Cattle Movement Service replacing sets of labels for cattle passports. [177197]
§ Alun MichaelThe exercise referred to will lead to a net saving of £73,000 over the next two years. In April 2004, the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) issued new sets of labels printed with farm details to all cattle keepers to replace labels they already had, some of which were issued five years ago. This exercise cost £67,000 and the BCMS estimate that it will save £140,000 over the next two years by reducing the verification and error correction costs arising because faded ink on the old label could not be read properly by their scanning system. The exercise was part of a continuing drive to improve quality and reduce costs.