Written question asked by Michael Jack (Conservative) on Thursday, 27 November 1997, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 December 1997. It was answered by Lord Cunningham of Felling (Labour) on Thursday, 4 December 1997 on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Question: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what is the estimated establishment cost of his proposed computerised cattle passport scheme; which MAFF locations will be involved in operating it and what will be their annual running costs; and what are the estimated running costs of the new scheme for each of the first three years of its operation.

Answer: Mr. Jack: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated establishment cost of his proposed computerised cattle passport scheme; which MAFF locations will be involved in operating it and what will be their annual running costs; and what are the estimated running costs of the new scheme for each of the first three years of its operation. [18829] Dr. John Cunningham: The Cattle Tracing System will not only provide cattle passports, but also a computerised register of all cattle in Great Britain, their location and their movement history. The estimated establishment cost is around £13 million. It will be operated by the British Cattle Movement Service, which will be part of my Department, based at Workington in Cumbria. The estimated running costs of the system for each of the first three years of operation are likely to be around £15 million per year.

Secondary information