Written question asked by Michael Meacher (Labour) on Friday, 26 March 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 April 2004. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Monday, 19 April 2004 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 evidence she has collated, in the absence of ruminant feeding studies, that Chardon LL has added value for cultivation and use in the United Kingdom.

Answer: Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence she has collated, in the absence of ruminant feeding studies, that Chardon LL has added value for cultivation and use in the United Kingdom. [164964] Mr. Morley: The criterion for adding a variety to the UK National List is that it should, taking its qualities as a whole, represent a clear improvement compared with other forage maize varieties already on the UK List. Chardon has been assessed on this basis and found to meet the performance standards set to indicate a clear improvement in value for cultivation and use. The evidence for this is that in National List trials, Chardon's results met the improvement standards for several important characteristics. Animal feeding studies are not required for this assessment.

Secondary information