Asked by: Antoinette Sandbach (Liberal Democrat - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage the grocery code adjudicator to investigate milk prices paid by Meadow Foods.
Answered by George Eustice
The GCA is responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and was formed by the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013. The Code governs the commercial relationships between the ten largest UK supermarkets and their direct suppliers, and reflects the findings of the Competition Commission’s market investigation into the supermarket sector conducted between 2006 and 2008. The Code does not cover the relationship between milk processors, such as Meadow Foods, and its farmers.
I have written to Meadow Foods to ask how it manages its relationship with farmers and to encourage it to sign up to the dairy industry code of best practice on contractual arrangements.
Asked by: Antoinette Sandbach (Liberal Democrat - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to routinely test camelids for bovine tuberculosis before they are moved around the UK.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has worked with the British Alpaca and Llama Societies on the design and promotion of a TB testing regime that includes voluntary routine surveillance, pre-movement testing and pre-export testing. A call for views on control of bovine TB in non-bovine farmed animals, including camelids, is currently in progress and will run until 20 November.
Asked by: Antoinette Sandbach (Liberal Democrat - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to impose restrictions on the free movement of camelids in the UK to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
Answered by George Eustice
The Tuberculosis (Deer and Camelid) (England) Order 2014 provides powers to restrict the movement of a camelid that shows clinical signs of bovine TB, tests positive to the disease or has been exposed to the infection. These powers may require the keeper to take reasonable steps to prevent the affected animal from coming into contact with any other farmed animal on the same premises or on adjoining premises and prevent the movement of camelids on to or off such premises except under a licence issued by an inspector. In addition, my Department has worked with the British Alpaca and Llama Societies on the design and promotion of a TB testing regime that includes voluntary routine surveillance. A call for views on control of bovine TB in non-bovine farmed animals, including camelids, is currently in progress and will run until 20 November.
Asked by: Antoinette Sandbach (Liberal Democrat - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether alpacas are routinely tested for the presence of bovine tuberculosis.
Answered by George Eustice
There is no statutory bovine TB surveillance testing regime for alpacas except for post-mortem inspection of any that may enter the food chain. Defra has, however, worked with the British Alpaca and Llama Societies on the design and promotion of a TB testing regime that includes voluntary routine surveillance. A call for views on control of bovine TB in non-bovine farmed animals, including camelids, is currently in progress and will run until 20 November.