2007 Foot and Mouth outbreak reviewed
Following the 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease
(FMD), Dr Iain Anderson published a report, 'Foot and Mouth Disease 2001:
Lessons to be Learned Inquiry - Report' (HC 888, 2001-02), providing an
analysis of what happened with recommendations. Another FMD outbreak occurred
in the summer of 2007 and the Government again asked Dr Iain Anderson to
conduct a review to find out if the lessons of 2001 had been learned and
whether new recommendations were needed.
This report, 'Foot and Mouth
Disease 2007: Review' (HC 312), is built around the findings of 2001, with a
particular look at the Pirbright facility - the source of the virus
incriminated in this recent outbreak.
Limited badger cull 'could make a contribution towards the reduction of cattle TB'
Cattle TB is one of the most serious animal health problems in Great Britain today, with the number of infected cattle doubling every four and a half years and nearly 20,000 being slaughtered in 2006. The cost of the disease to the taxpayer (£80-100 million a year) and to the farming industry is unsustainable. The introduction of a new system of valuations for slaughtered cattle has proved inequitable in many cases.
'Badgers and Cattle TB: The Final Report of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB' (HC 130-I) examines the possibility of implementing a badger culling scheme in response to the Report by the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG).
Single Payment Scheme delays examined
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and
the Rural Payments Agency spent £122m implementing the European Union Single
Payment Scheme which replaced Common Agricultural Policy subsidies.
This Report
‘The
Delays in Administering the 2005 Single Payment Scheme in England’ (HC 893)
examines the problems encountered in administering the payments.
DEFRA’s Common Agricultural Policy Vision
reviewed
In December 2005, the Government launched a “Vision for the
Common Agricultural Policy”, which was intended to stimulate debate and show
how the Common Agricultural Policy should change in 10-15 years.
This
Report
‘The
UK Government's vision for the Common Agricultural Policy’ (HC 546-I)
examines the proposals and finds them a lost opportunity.
Implementation of the Single Payment Scheme
examined
The EU Single Payment Scheme replaced 11 previous subsidies
to farmers based on agricultural production with one payment for land
management. The European Commission gave some discretion to Member States over
how to implement the scheme, and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), which is
responsible for administering the scheme in England, opted for the dynamic
hybrid model which incorporates elements of previous entitlement and new
regionalised area payments based on a flat rate per hectare.
This Report
from the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
'The
Rural Payments Agency and the Implementation of the Single Payment Scheme' (HC
107) examines the way in which the scheme has been implemented.
Delays in single payment subsidies to farmers
The Single Payment Scheme replaced previous EU subsidies to
farmers based on agricultural production with one payment for land management.
The European Commission gave some discretion to Member States over how to
implement the scheme: the Rural Payments Agency is responsible for
administering single payment scheme payments in England.