---

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Answer

Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what estimate he has made of the number of illegal animal movements occurring each week and the numbers of foot and mouth outbreaks caused by such movements; [157557] (2) how many farmers have been prosecuted for the illegal movement of animals; and how many farmers have been discovered illegally moving animals since the start of the foot and mouth outbreak. [157558] Mr. Morley: [holding answer 9 April 2001]: Three farmers have been convicted to date by local authorities for illegal movements of foot and mouth susceptible animals. There have been many allegations of illegal movements of animals and the police and local authorities are engaged in the prevention and detection of illegal movements. Epidemiological investigation so far has not found any case in which an illegal movement of animals has been positively identified as a cause of disease in a new place but a large number of illegal movements are under investigation and the risks of spreading foot and mouth this way are very high.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

368 c466W;368 c467W; 157557;157558

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Crime Disease control Foot and mouth disease Prosecutions Livestock Transport

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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