Agriculture: Farm Animal Disease

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale Excerpts

Tuesday 6th July 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Henley]

My Lords, as I said, we will wait until we see what the report says. If the noble Baroness is suggesting that we changed our minds I should remind her that, having set up this review, the previous Government then proceeded, almost straightaway, to publish their draft Bill. That seems a very odd way of going about it. It is distinctly odd to institute a review and then suggest that there should be a Bill. We will look at the results of that review when they come out in December and then we will make the appropriate decisions.

[Lord Corbett of Castle Vale]

My Lords—

[Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Henley]

My noble friend is right to remind the House of the financial constraints facing the Government as a result of what the previous Government managed to achieve in their 13 years in office. Nevertheless, I can assure my noble friend that we will make sure that the appropriate surveillance continues to be in place to deal with all animal diseases.

[Lord Corbett of Castle Vale]

Do the Government intend to go ahead with the two pilot projects to cull badgers?

[Lord Henley]

My Lords, as we have made clear, we will look at the evidence from the pilot projects that have been conducted by another Administration—that is, the one in Wales. We will make a decision based on the science that comes before us, but we will not make a decision until it is appropriate to do so.