This year we have an early Easter, though not so early, perhaps, that we needed to provision ourselves with chocolate eggs as soon as the Christmas decorations were down at Epiphany. As some supermarkets seem to have substituted Easter eggs, fluffy chicks and chocolate bunnies for tinsel and crackers at...

This year we have an early Easter, though not so early, perhaps, that we needed to provision ourselves with chocolate eggs as soon as the Christmas decorations were down at Epiphany. As some supermarkets seem to have substituted Easter eggs, fluffy chicks and chocolate bunnies for tinsel and crackers at...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency has any plans to collect centrally the Poultry Food Chain Information for the purpose of monitoring the level of farm antibiotic use.

[144826]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency has any plans to collect centrally the Poultry Food Chain Information for the purpose of monitoring the level of farm antibiotic use.

[144826]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that EU member states which are not compliant with the Welfare of Laying Hens directive are referred to the European Court of Justice;

[137671]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that EU member states which are not compliant with the Welfare of Laying Hens directive are referred to the European Court of Justice;

[137671]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of laying hens across the EU in conditions not compliant with the EU Welfare of Laying Hens directive;

[137672]

Neil Parish:

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of laying hens across the EU in conditions not compliant with the EU Welfare of Laying Hens directive;

[137672]

Neil Parish:

(2) which EU member states were not compliant with the EU Welfare of Laying Hens directive on 1 January 2013.

[137673]

Neil Parish:

(2) which EU member states were not compliant with the EU Welfare of Laying Hens directive on 1 January 2013.

[137673]

Neil Parish:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 28 February 2012 (WA 337), whether they have contacted any relevant competent authority in another European Union country for confirmation of whether imported eggs were compliant with production by hens in enriched cages; and...

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 28 February 2012 (WA 337), whether they have contacted any relevant competent authority in another European Union country for confirmation of whether imported eggs were compliant with production by hens in enriched cages; and...

To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will ensure that all poultry products used by the House are sourced from free range providers by April 2013.

[137551]

To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will ensure that all poultry products used by the House are sourced from free range providers by April 2013.

[137551]

It is a pleasure, Mrs Main, to serve under your chairmanship. I will make a short speech, and allow as much time as possible for interventions.

Clearly, everyone is concerned about the rise in the number of cases of bacterial infection, whether campylobacter, MRSA or blood poisoning from E. coli, cases...

It is a pleasure, Mrs Main, to serve under your chairmanship. I will make a short speech, and allow as much time as possible for interventions.

Clearly, everyone is concerned about the rise in the number of cases of bacterial infection, whether campylobacter, MRSA or blood poisoning from E. coli, cases...

I had just quoted Sir Liam Donaldson, on

“a death warrant for a future patient”,

as a result of the overuse of antibiotics, and I had complained that the British Government have routinely ignored the link between antibiotics in intensive farming and the public health threat. I was about to cite the...

I had just quoted Sir Liam Donaldson, on

“a death warrant for a future patient”,

as a result of the overuse of antibiotics, and I had complained that the British Government have routinely ignored the link between antibiotics in intensive farming and the public health threat. I was about to cite the...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on raising a very important subject. Is his argument, at least in part, that the collaboration cross-departmentally, which should take place through the chief scientific advisers committee, is not happening, or is what they are considering simply not being taken proper notice of?

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on raising a very important subject. Is his argument, at least in part, that the collaboration cross-departmentally, which should take place through the chief scientific advisers committee, is not happening, or is what they are considering simply not being taken proper notice of?

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I suspect that that is part of the problem, but as I will come to later, I think it is also the case that the agribusiness sector in this country has had a disproportionate impact on policy. That is a point...

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I suspect that that is part of the problem, but as I will come to later, I think it is also the case that the agribusiness sector in this country has had a disproportionate impact on policy. That is a point...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate. Does he feel that the use by the farming sectors—whether pig, poultry or beef—of antibiotics is unnecessary, because there is a blanket use, rather than reacting to disease? Does he feel that that has a direct impact on us as human...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate. Does he feel that the use by the farming sectors—whether pig, poultry or beef—of antibiotics is unnecessary, because there is a blanket use, rather than reacting to disease? Does he feel that that has a direct impact on us as human...

Again, I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman’s point, and I thank him for making it. I will come to that in more detail shortly.

There is no argument against treating sick animals with antimicrobials but, surely, not the most modern and medically important ones, especially when other antibiotics, which are...

Again, I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman’s point, and I thank him for making it. I will come to that in more detail shortly.

There is no argument against treating sick animals with antimicrobials but, surely, not the most modern and medically important ones, especially when other antibiotics, which are...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this important debate. In the light of the very real health risks and the strong words from a former chief medical officer, as the hon. Gentleman has said, about the unnecessary use of antibiotics being nothing less than

“a death warrant for a future...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this important debate. In the light of the very real health risks and the strong words from a former chief medical officer, as the hon. Gentleman has said, about the unnecessary use of antibiotics being nothing less than

“a death warrant for a future...

I do, and I will be coming to that point as well, but I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady’s intervention.

Clearly, we need to continue with efforts to reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics by doctors, but the European Food Safety Authority was spot-on—I do not often say that—last year...

I do, and I will be coming to that point as well, but I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady’s intervention.

Clearly, we need to continue with efforts to reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics by doctors, but the European Food Safety Authority was spot-on—I do not often say that—last year...

Does my hon. Friend have any evidence to suggest that this problem is more prevalent in what he describes as factory farming than in what I would call farming more generally?

Does my hon. Friend have any evidence to suggest that this problem is more prevalent in what he describes as factory farming than in what I would call farming more generally?

I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I will come to that point in about 20 seconds if he does not mind, because I want to demonstrate the vigour with which the industry has in the past resisted and will continue to resist any change such as I have...

I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I will come to that point in about 20 seconds if he does not mind, because I want to demonstrate the vigour with which the industry has in the past resisted and will continue to resist any change such as I have...

I would like to pursue this point a little further. The reference made then was to organic farming. I was an extensive farmer and I have always had the view that the sloppy use of antibiotics was every bit as bad in extensive farming as in intensive units. I can...

I would like to pursue this point a little further. The reference made then was to organic farming. I was an extensive farmer and I have always had the view that the sloppy use of antibiotics was every bit as bad in extensive farming as in intensive units. I can...

The difficulty is that it is very hard to measure antibiotic use in extensive farming of the sort that my hon. Friend has describes, whereas in organic farming there is quite clear regulation—self-regulation, in effect—which enables that comparison to be made. He is probably right, but I cannot authenticate what...

The difficulty is that it is very hard to measure antibiotic use in extensive farming of the sort that my hon. Friend has describes, whereas in organic farming there is quite clear regulation—self-regulation, in effect—which enables that comparison to be made. He is probably right, but I cannot authenticate what...