Minutes of Proceedings

The Chairman declared the meeting open in public session at 9.40 a.m.

1. Minutes of Proceedings on Friday 31 May 2002.

1.1. Resolved: That the draft Minutes of Proceedings for 31 May 2002 were approved with one minor amendment.

2. Matters Arising from the Meeting on 31 May 2002

2.1. Correspondence: Members noted receipt of correspondence by e-mail from the meeting on 31 May 2002.

2.2. Salmon Farming: Members noted a letter from Moyle District Council expressing their thanks for the Committee's interest in this issue and offering to keep members informed of any further developments.

Mr Bradley attended the meeting at 9.46 a.m.

2.3. Milk Auction System: Members noted an agreement from Mr Stephen Cameron, United Dairy Farmers, to provide a written explanation of the milk auction system for the Committee's consideration.

Mr Armstrong attended the meeting at 9.47 a.m. Mr Douglas attended the meeting at 9.52 a.m.

2.4. Potato Sector: Members agreed a letter to the Minister seeking an update on concerns about the potato sector.

2.5. Executive Programme Funds and RRI Bids: Members agreed a letter to the Minister outlining the Committee's response to these bids.

3. Meeting with the Minister

The Minister and her officials attended the meeting at 10.02 a.m.

3.1. The Chairman welcomed the Minister and her officials Dr George Mc Ilroy, Mr Stewart Johnston and Mr Tony Mc Cusker.

3.2. The Chairman asked the Minister to comment on a recently launched report on farm stress. The Minister agreed to meet with the Committee after she had been able to give the report full consideration.

3.3. The Minister made an opening statement on the Stakeholders Forum and answered members questions on the remit of the forum, the make up of the forum and the timescale for setting it up, the mechanism for ensuring farmers had the strongest voice and the cost involved in setting it up.

Mr Ford attended the meeting at 10.33 a.m.

3.4. The Minister made a statement on TB and Brucellosis and answered members' questions on compensation payments, the effect of importing cattle, prevention and control, the impact of the diseases in the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the UK, the process for reporting abortions, the impact of TB and Brucellosis during the Foot and Mouth outbreak, the spread of botulism and the effectiveness of vaccinations in preventing botulism.

3.5. The Minister undertook to supply a copy of the Department's PR programme on animal diseases and to provide details of the numbers of abortions reported to the Department.

The Chairman thanked the Minister and her officials and they left the meeting at 11.27 a.m.

The meeting was adjourned until 11.33 a.m. at which time the Chairman and Messrs Armstrong, Douglas, Kane and Savage were present.

4. Fur Farming (Prohibition) Bill

4.1. Members considered substantive submissions from 'Respect for Animals', the British Fur Trade Association and the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside and noted the submissions from Compassion in World Farming and the Natural Trust, both of which supported the Bill.

Mr Ford returned to the meeting at 11.35 a.m. Mr Murphy returned to the meeting at 11.36 a.m.

4.2. Resolved: That clarification should be sought from DARD on the wording "animals of a particular description" in clause 2(1) and that the question of the need for the Bill to include a legal definition of fur be raised with DARD.

4.3. Resolved: That there was no need to take oral evidence.

4.4. Resolved: That full submissions be lodged in the Assembly Library and that only covering letters and relevant extracts should be printed along with the Committee's report.

Mr Armstrong left the meeting at 11.46 a.m.

The Chairman declared the meeting to be in private session at 11.50 a.m.

5. Committee Inquiry into Foot and Mouth Disease

5.1. Kevin Pelan and Rab Mc Conaghy from the Assembly's Research and Library Services attended the meeting to give a progress report on the agreed research plan and to assist members in considering the Terms of Reference for the external research element of the Inquiry.

Mr Armstrong returned to the meeting at 12.04 p.m. The Chairman left the meeting at 12.05 p.m. and the Deputy Chairman assumed the Chair. Mr Armstrong left the meeting at 12.09 p.m. Mr Kane left the meeting at 12.30 p.m.

5.2. Members considered draft Terms of Reference for external research.

Resolved: That the Terms of Reference for the external research element were agreed, subject to further consideration of one aspect of section 5 of the draft.

Resolved: That, subject to the advice of the Assembly's Procurement Officer, Committee staff should proceed to seek proposals from potential suppliers prior to summer recess, with a view to the Committee making an appointment immediately after recess.

Resolved: That subject also to the advice of the Procurement Officer, PriceWaterhouseCoopers should not be considered for the research work, in view of that company's appointment by DARD to carry out a review of the Foot and Mouth outbreak and the Committee's scrutiny of that review as part of its own Inquiry Terms of Reference.

Members considered the near-final draft research paper on the comparative analysis of approaches adopted by non-EU countries regarding Foot and Mouth disease.

Resolved: That the paper should be treated in the same way as a submission to the Inquiry i.e. that it would be referred to in the body of the Committee's report and published as an Appendix to the report.

Resolved: That this paper, together with two further research papers and all written submissions to the Inquiry, be used to develop a 'live issues' paper which members would then use in correspondence and in preparations for oral evidence sessions.

5.3. Members noted submissions from the Ulster Farmers Union, the Food Standards Agency, and the Rural Development Council and Burren GAA club.

Resolved: That oral evidence sessions should be taken in September.

6. Any Other Business

6.1. Single Equality Bill: Members noted a letter from OFMDFM regarding the publication of the report on the initial consultation exercise on the single Equality Bill.

6.2. Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy: Members noted a letter from the Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers Organisation Ltd. regarding EC proposals for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Members were informed of a forthcoming invitation to attend a seminar on the reform proposals on 13 June.

Resolved: That the Deputy Chair should attend, accompanied by a researcher.

6.3 World Dairy Expo: A member informed the Committee that he had sought information on the World Dairy Expo and had asked for it to be sent to the Committee Clerk.

7. Date of Next Meeting

7.1. Resolved: That the next meeting will take place on 14 June 2002 in Room 135, Parliament Buildings, at the earlier time of 9.30 a.m.

The Deputy Chairman brought the meeting to a close at 12.40 p.m.

George Savage
Deputy Chairman