Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive supports the thrust of the Agenda 2000 beef reforms which are designed to phase-out intervention as a means of supporting the beef sector, and by so doing eventually eliminating the various problems which arise when stocks have to be released on to the European market, or exported to third countries. In the short run, I think that it is important, wherever possible, to manage releases in a way which causes the minimum disruption to other farming and meat industries.

The answer to this question is covered by S1W-1082.

In October 1998, Michael Meacher announced to the House of Lords Select Committee that agreement had been reached in principle with the plant breeding industry for a jointly-funded programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crops. The invitation to tender was issued on 2 February 1999 and a consultation on the nature of the evaluations was issued on 25 February 1999. The announcement of the successful tender was made on 15 April 1999 by DETR news release. Information about the programme is contained on the DETR website including details of the 4 sites (in England) which have already been identified. Information on any Scottish sites will be publicised in advance.

The announcement of the decision to award the contracts for the joint UK Government and Scottish Executive programme of farmscale evaluations of the management of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops to a consortium consisting of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, the Institute of Arable Crop Research and the Scottish Crop Research Institute was made as an answer to a parliamentary question in Westminster, accompanied by a DETR press release, on 15 April 1999.

The announcement contained details of the length of the programme, the costs involved, the fact that The Scottish Office, DETR and MAFF were jointly funding the programme and the reasons for the trials. It related to the UK as a whole.Details of this programme are openly available and contained on the DETR website and before any planting takes place the information on site location must be publicised in the relevant local press.

The answer to this question is covered by S1W-1125.

The answer to this question is covered by S1W-741.

The research programme is a joint one between the UK Government and the Scottish Executive and there is regular and frequent contact in the course of managing the programme.

This is a matter for the consent holder, the relevant land owner or the police as appropriate.

No decision has yet been taken on the number of Scottish sites which will be involved in the programme of farmscale evaluations of the management of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops, the location of any sites, the size of each site nor the dates on which such trials will commence.There are a number of other programmes involving small scale genetically modified trial plots in Scotland and this is covered by S1W-1010.

The programme of farmscale evaluations of the management of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops is being organised on a UK basis. The total cost of the UK programme, is £3.3m over 4 years, starting in 1999/00, to which the Scottish Executive is contributing £0.2m. The other funders are the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.