- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much soya used in Scottish animal feed comes from (a) Brazil, (b) Argentina and (c) the United States of America.
Answer
Research recently undertaken for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs suggests that at present the UK livestock sector is effectively dependent on imported soya feed, over 90% of which comes from Brazil and Argentina. In 2007-08 the UK imported in total approximately 2.2 million tonnes of soybean meal and 0.8 million tonnes of soybeans.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on how much animal feed is imported into the United Kingdom.
Answer
The latest available confirmed figures show that the volume of animal feed ingredients (not including whole cereal grains) imported into the UK in 2007 was 4,930,871 tonnes. In addition, it is estimated that 899,000 tonnes of imported whole cereal grain was used in animal feeding stuffs in the UK in 2007-08.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total tonnage is of feed fed to farm animals.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collect information on total tonnage of feed fed to animals.
An estimate of the tonnage of feed concentrates can be generated by using recommended feed rations from the Scottish Agricultural College Farm Management Handbook and applying this to livestock numbers in Scotland.
This generates an estimate of 1.8 million tonnes of compound, blended and concentrate feed requirements in Scotland in 2008. This estimate does not include (or account for) any additional silage/forage feed or grazing that is required.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what maximum content of genetically modified organisms is found in animal feed labelled as containing such organisms.
Answer
I am informed by the Food Standards Agency that there is no maximum or minimum content as such of GM material in animal feed. Labelling is required for feed materials that deliberately contain any amount of GMOs or GM-derived material. However, labelling is not required for consignments containing adventitious or technically unavoidable traces of GM material approved in the EU, up to a threshold of 0.9%.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of news of linseed contaminated with “Triffid” GM seed in Canada, what precautions are being taken in Scotland against its import
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27188 on 24 September 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether the Food Standards Agency is monitoring linseed for GM contamination.
Answer
I am informed by the Food Standards Agency that the agency is aware of the rapid alert for food and feed (RASFF) issued on 8 September by the German authorities regarding the detection of the GM flax/linseed variety FP967 in products originating from Canada. Additional investigations carried out by the German authorities have identified the batches of products affected and confirmed that these were imported by a single German company.
Further RASFFs issued on 11 and 15 September and investigations by the German authorities report details of the distribution of GM flax/linseed to other Member States, but this does not include the UK.
The information provided to date therefore shows no evidence of distribution of these particular products to the UK and therefore no grounds for issuing a food alert. The agency will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action as required.
UK official control laboratories have been alerted to the situation and a method of analysis forwarded by the European Community Reference Laboratory for GMOs has been circulated to these laboratories.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 26 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent, expressed in today’s prices, on major trunk road projects in the Moray local authority area from (a) 1999-00 to 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04 to 2006-07; how much has been spent and is planned to be spent between 2007-08 and 2010-11, and how much is planned to be spent in each year from 2012 for which information is available.
Answer
Total expenditure on major trunk road projects in the Moray local authority area is as follows:
| 1999-2000 to 2002-03 (£ million) | 2003-04 to 2006-07 (£ million) | 2007-08 to 2010-11 (£ million) |
| 1.700 | 0.729 | 28.519 |
The current three year budget settlement does not extend beyond 2010-11.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will make use of the six Scottish MEPs to further Scotland’s best interests in the European Union.
Answer
This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0618-01.htm
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 25 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance for the nation’s health it considers that the current powers for making decisions concerning food content and labelling have.
Answer
This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0625-01.htm
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ramifications for cultural activity in Scotland are of the requirement for a certificate of sponsorship under the UK Government's points-based immigration system.
Answer
Our world renowned cultural festivals and events are vital to attracting tourists and artists, and contributing to our economy. It is vital that those who are coming here to contribute are welcomed, not shunned.
The UK immigration system should meet the needs of the whole of the UK and we are pressing the Home Office to ensure that the distinct needs of Scotland are taken into account.
