Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to provide compensation to poultry farmers who have had eggs destroyed as a result of Avian flu.

Compensation paid for birds culled by the Government for disease control purposes is designed to promote prompt reporting of suspicion of disease and is only payable for healthy birds as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. There is no compensation available for sick birds or birds that have died.

Compensation is not paid for consequential losses, including business interruption caused by control measures, or for eggs or poultry meat. We have no plans to reconsider this policy at this time.