Milk And Dairy Inspections

Mr. Alex Carlile
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the amount charged for milk and dairy hygienic inspections for each year from 1979 to the present; how many inspections were carried out during the same time period; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Maclean
Charges for inspection and sampling visits to farms to enforce milk and dairies regulations were introduced on 30 March 1987. Levels of charge since then have been as follows:---------------------------
|                         |
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|(a) higher rate          |
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|(b) lower rate           |
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|First follow-up visit    |
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|(a) higher rate          |
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|(b) lower rate           |
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|2. Routine sampling visit|
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|Follow-up visit          |
---------------------------
Numbers of routine and follow-up inspection and sampling visits to farms in England and Wales over the same period were as follows:--------------------------------------
|                                    |
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|1. Dairy husbandry inspection visits|
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|2. Sampling visits                  |
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My officials are currently consulting interested parties about proposals to increase charges.