Written question asked by Bill Wiggin (Conservative) on Wednesday, 26 November 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 December 2003. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Monday, 8 December 2003 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to stop the disease of potato ring rot from spreading in Wales.

Answer: Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to stop the disease of potato ring rot from spreading in Wales. [141167] Mr. Bradshaw: As soon as the disease was detected on a routine sample of seed potatoes from the farm in mid Wales, a statutory notice was served under the Plant Health Order 1993 to prevent movement. Three deliveries which had already been made from the farm to customers in England were traced and placed under notice. All 22 stocks of seed potatoes on the farm have now been tested. Although infection has been found on some samples of one other variety, DMA testing suggests that this is likely to be due to an admixture with the original infected variety at harvest. The other 20 stocks have been found free from the disease. However, none of the seed potatoes from the outbreak farm can be planted. Five farms in England grew crops this year with a varietal link to the infected stocks. As a precautionary measure these stocks were placed under notice and sampled. No ring rot was found in tests on these samples and the stocks are being released. There is no reason to believe that infection was present on the affected farm before this year, but as a precautionary measure last year's deliveries of seed are being traced, so crops grown from them can be sampled and tested. A new publicity leaflet on ring rot has been prepared and will be sent to all potato growers shortly.

Secondary information