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Date-based Export Scheme

Answer

[holding answer 22 November 2005]: Defra officials and Ministers have maintained regular contacts with the European Commission to seek the end of the beef .export ban at the earliest possible time.EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) inspectors visited the UK in June 2005 to assess the state of our BSE controls. Their report was published on 28 September 2005 and was discussed at a meeting of the Commission's TSE Working Group on the same day. The Commission issued a press release stating that the pre-conditions for discussions to begin with member states on lifting the embargo have been met.The next step is for the Commission to submit to member states a proposal to lift the ban on the export from the UK of cattle, beef and other bovine products and we expect discussions with member states to commence this month. Due to the need to observe EU legal procedures and to gain member states' agreement, it is unlikely that legislation to lift the ban will come into force until early 2006. The Government is continuing to work in Brussels to ensure that the export ban is lifted as soon as possible.If EU legislation to lift the export ban is adopted, we will need to amend our existing domestic legislation, the Bovines and Bovine Products (Trade) Regulations 1999, to bring UK law into line with EU law. We have already launched a public consultation on the lifting of the ban and related issues, with the aim of ensuring that changes to EU and UK law can, as far as possible, enter into force at the same time so as to enable exports to resume at the earliest possible opportunity.When the export ban is lifted, the date-based export scheme will no longer be required and will automatically be discontinued.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

439 c2032W;439 c2031-2W; 31082

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Exports Disease control Export controls EU action Meat BSE Beef CJD

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk