- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it will publish concerning the number of portions of farmed salmon that may be eaten each year without increased risk of cancer or other negative health effects.
Answer
I am advised by the FoodStandards Agency that based on expert scientific opinion, it recommends thatconsumers should aim to eat at least two portions of fish per week, one ofwhich should be oily such as salmon, either farmed or wild. The known healthbenefits of eating oily fish at this level outweigh any possible risks. In2003, the Food Standards Agency asked a group of experts to advise on thebalance of risks and benefits of regularly eating more than this over manyyears. This group will report later this year. Most people in the UK do noteat enough oily fish, average consumption being only a quarter of a portion perweek.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Food Standards Agency that the agency should make available evidence regarding the different level of toxic contaminants between farmed and wild salmon.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-5447 on 9 February 2004.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 29 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas experienced a rise in domestic debt in relation to domestic water charges for Band A households between 2001 and 2003.
Answer
Data onlevels of domestic debt by household band in relation to water charges is notheld centrally.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 27 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage producers to take steps to reduce the level of toxic contaminants in farmed salmon.
Answer
The trace levels of contaminantfound in farmed salmon are within international food safety standards set byEuropean Commission and the WHO. But we are never complacent over such issuesand the Scottish Executive, with relevant stakeholder bodies, will explore optionsfor further reducing trace levels of contaminants through ongoing engagementwithin the Strategic Framework.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 27 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps could be taken to reduce the level of toxic contaminants in farmed salmon.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency,and industry, regularly monitor the levels of toxic contaminants found infarmed salmon. Both report that trace elements continue to fall and that theyremain well below tolerances set by relevant international health agencies,such as the European Commission and WHO. The Scottish Executive, through theStrategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture, will explore with relevant bodieshow trace contaminant levels can be reduced still further.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 22 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what levels of (a) dioxins, (b) polychlorinated biphenols, (c) toxaphene and (d) dieldrin were found in (i) farmed salmon, (ii) wild salmon and (iii) fish farming feedstuffs sampled by government agencies between 1990 and 2003.
Answer
This is a matter for theFood Standards Agency and industry trade associations. The informationrequested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 21 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to ensure that conditions are improved and enforced on pig farms in Scotland following the report in December 2003 by Advocates for Animals of unacceptable conditions in which pigs were being kept on Scotpigs' farms.
Answer
The Welfare of FarmedAnimals (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2003 introduced a range ofnew conditions to improve the welfare of pigs. In addition, the StateVeterinary Service will continue to monitor conditions on pig farms andappropriate enforcement action will be initiated if contraventions are found.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 21 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take following Advocates for Animals recent investigation into Scottish pet shops referring to a range of unacceptable practices, including a lack of guidance by local authorities, breaches of pet shop licence conditions and aspects of the pet trade being unregulated.
Answer
The Pet Animals Act 1951,which is the legislation that governs the licensing and operation of pet shops,is currently under review as part of a wider review of animal welfarelegislation. The information provided by Advocates for Animals will beconsidered as part of that review. Licensing and enforcement is theresponsibility of local authorities.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what modelling has been done on the impact, under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), of basing the single payment on hybrids of area-based and historic approaches and how the results of any such modelling can be publicly accessed in order to inform responses to the second question on the single payment scheme in the consultation paper CAP Reform: Opportunities for Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has undertaken modelling of the impact of calculating the single farm paymenton various hybrid area‑based approaches and of the historic individualapproach. The results of the modelling are publicly available on the Executive’sCAP Reform website:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/ERADA/AgriPol/00017653/Economic.aspx.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what data it has showing how funding would be redistributed across regions and agricultural sectors under single payments based on hybrids of area-based and historic approaches following Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has undertaken modelling into the redistributive effect of differentapproaches to calculating the single farm payment. This shows how funding wouldbe redistributed at regional level under the historic approach compared with anumber of hybrid area-based models. The results of the modelling are publiclyavailable on the Executive’s CAP Reform website:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/ERADA/AgriPol/00017653/Economic.aspx
