Jamie McGrigor

26 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what scientific recommendations the cod recovery plan was based.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), the scientific body which advises European Community fisheries managers, identified the need to establish cod recovery plans in their most recent advice. Two cod recovery plans have been establ…

19 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the labelling procedures and the traceability of beef imported into Scotland and, if so, what the grounds are for this position.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Food Standards Agency advise that although recent EU legislation provides for some elements of compulsory beef labelling, the agency continues to attach great importance to clear and unambiguous country of origin labelling for all meat and meat products a…

19 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers meat hygiene inspectors and Food Standards Agency officials have to demand documentation proving the age of beef carcasses, imported or otherwise, from meat cutting plants.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Food Standards Agency advises that the Fresh Meat (Beef Controls) (No. 2) Regulations 1996 (as amended) provide powers for enforcement officers to ensure that meat intended for human consumption, imported or otherwise, has been derived either from cattle …

19 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that no beef over 30 months old is entering the food chain and, if so, what the grounds are for this position.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that beef from over thirty month old animals may enter the food chain if it is from specialist herds registered under the Beef Assurance Scheme or from animals born, reared and slaughtered in one of 14 non-EU countrie…

24 Jan 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the funding arrangements are for Veterinary Investigative Centres.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The eight Veterinary Disease Surveillance Centres, operated by the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) throughout Scotland, and SAC's Central Diagnostic Laboratory at Penicuik, are supported through grant-in-aid from the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Depar…

18 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why Argyll and Bute Council's proposal to construct a car park in The Avenue in Inveraray has not been called in for determination by the Scottish Ministers, given that the case has been referred to the Commission of Local Administration in Scotland.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Office Development Department Circular 4/1997 lays down the criteria which require local authorities to notify planning applications to the Scottish Ministers. Reference of a case to the Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland is not in…

9 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to help hotels in the Highlands and Islands with any problems caused by increases in non-domestic rates and falling trade.

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: The Transitional Relief arrangements, set in place following the 2000 Revaluation of Non-Domestic Rates, give significant protection to those businesses, including hotels, facing an increase. There is also rate relief for smaller businesses. The New Strategy …

9 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not yet provided substantive answers to questions S1W-9757 to S1W-9776 and S1W-9778 on the scallop industry, lodged on 22 September 2000, and when it will provide such answers.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency has advised me that the situation regarding the scallop industry has been moving rapidly in recent weeks with much activity both domestically and at a European level. However, answers to all the questions concerned have now been answ…

10 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much milk was produced for (a) wholesale and (b) direct sales (adjusted for butterfat) in the Southern Isles ring-fenced area between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2000.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Wholesale milk production (butterfat adjusted) for the Southern Isles ring-fenced area between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2000 was 54,244,000 litres. Direct sales totalled 698,201 litres during the same period.

29 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new employees the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has taken on during the last three years; in what capacities any such staff are employed, and what the cost is of employing any such additional staff.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The total number of staff employed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) rose by 152 during the last three years. Staff costs during the same period, including social security and pension contributions, increased by £4.1 million.<P ALIGN="JUSTI…

29 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new employees Scottish Natural Heritage has taken on during the last three years; in what capacities any such staff are employed and what the cost is of employing any such additional staff.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: This is a matter for Scottish Natural Heritage. The information requested is not held centrally.

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was to the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department of (a) the recent court case between it and the RSPB and (b) the consequent appeal with regard to the granting of licences to two Islay farmers to shoot geese.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The cost to the Scottish Executive of the initial court action brought by the RSPB totalled £19,446.25. Following the appeal, which overturned the decision by the Lord Ordinary in favour of Scottish Ministers, liability for the petitioners' expenses fall to S…

13 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money the National Goose Forum has spent to date.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The National Goose Forum completed its work in December 1999, with the presentation to Ministers of a detailed report containing 34 recommendations.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The work of the forum was financed by the Scottish Office and, following devolution, by the …

13 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department has spent on the ongoing survey by Aberdeen University on the impact of geese on Islay.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The work being undertaken on Islay is part of a national study, which seeks to measure the value which society attributes to geese and to quantify the economic costs in terms of agricultural damage. The commissioning of an economic study designed to measure t…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is for the future of the scallop industry given the recurrence of amnesic shellfish poisoning in 2000.

Answer · John Home Robertson: The incidence of shellfish poison contamination is making it necessary for scallop fishermen and processors to make changes to their operations and to seek opportunities for diversification. I have advised the industry that my department is willing to discuss…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the appearance of amnesic shellfish poisoning is cyclical and whether there is any trend evident in its appearance.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency has advised me that amnesic shellfish poisoning is caused by phytoplanktonic algae creating blooms which are fed upon by bivalve molluscs such as scallops. The growth of these causative organisms is cyclic, therefore the poisoning al…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken by the Food Standards Agency to ensure confidence in the scallop fishing industry.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency ensures that all information relating to the incidence of high levels of algal toxins is conveyed accurately and rapidly to the relevant parties. Food and Environment Protection Act Orders (closures and revocations) are completed as …

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to reduce the period between a recommended closure and a legal closure of a box area under the Food and Environment Protection Act.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency aim to place a Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) Order as quickly as possible to ensure public safety. To help minimise delay, a draft Order is prepared by the Scottish Executive Solicitor's Office Legal Service while minist…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure is for closing a box area under the Food and Environment Protection Act; how long it takes for such closures to be communicated to scallop fishermen rather than their shore-based representatives; whether the method of communication used is adequate; whether the advent o…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) inform fisheries organisations and other interested parties when a Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) Order is being drafted by the Scottish Executive, following results above the statutory limit for algal toxins. This …

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Fisheries Research Service testing of gonad only is different from the end product testing of gonad and white meat mashed together.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency has advised me that toxins accumulate to differing levels in the different edible parts of the scallop. Proportionate toxin levels in the gonad are likely to be considerably greater than in the white meat. Testing an amalgam of white…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any laboratories other than Aberdeen that are capable of conducting high performance liquid chromatography testing under the direction of the Fisheries Research Service; whether there are any plans to use local laboratories to conduct testing, and which other laboratorie…

Answer · Susan Deacon: FRS Marine Laboratory Aberdeen cannot oversee the analysis being done by commercial companies. The Food Standards Agency contract out the statutory monitoring analysis and any laboratory may tender. All National Reference Laboratories, including FRS Marine La…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the normal length of time is from the collection of a sample to testing for shellfish poisoning and how the samples are transferred to Aberdeen.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Samples collected as part of the routine monitoring programme are sent to the FRS Marine Laboratory Aberdeen (FRS MLA) by first class post in containers provided for the purpose. Samples arrive within two days of posting. Samples are collected by chartered fi…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether gonads from more than one scallop are ever mixed together and then tested.

Answer · Susan Deacon: In an attempt to provide a representative sample, 10-12 gonads from different scallops are amalgamated.

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what occurs when a shellfish gonad is too small to form an adequate sample for testing.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The gonads from 10-12 scallops are used to provide a sample for analysis for algal toxins, never a single gonad. Even after spawning there is sufficient material present from 10-12 scallops to permit analysis.

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will explain the high performance liquid chromatography testing procedure and in particular how long the testing actually takes and what the margin of error is for this procedure.

Answer · Susan Deacon: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is used to analyse shellfish samples for domoic acid, the chemical causing amnesic shellfish poison (ASP). The toxin is extracted from prepared samples using aqueous methanol, then partially purified and fully iso…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what shellfish molluscs other than scallops are tested for toxins.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Samples of all bivalve molluscs harvested for human consumption are tested for the presence of toxins. The molluscs tested include: mussels, oysters, scallops, queens, razor fish and cockles.

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the scallop is particularly susceptible to toxin contamination while the queen scallop appears to be entirely resistant.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Food Standards Agency has advised me that it is not known why some species appear to accumulate toxins more readily than others do. Toxins from the phytoplankton on which the molluscs feed accumulate in the animals. Once the intake of toxin producers cea…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, from each sample collected under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, how many (a) scallops and (b) queen scallops have been tested for (i) amnesic shellfish poisoning, (ii) paralytic shellfish poisoning, (iii) dieuretic shellfish poisoning and (iv) other toxins.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The FRS Marine Laboratory Aberdeen (FRS MLA) has analysed 1,698<FONT FACE="Arial" COLOR="#ff0000"> samples of bivalve mollusc for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), 1,284<FONT FACE="Arial" COLOR="#ff0000"> for diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and 1,969<…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many personnel are involved in (a) sample collection; (b) sample transportation; (c) sample testing and (d) result verification in relation to amnesic shellfish poisoning.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The number of people involved in amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) testing varies depending on the source and origin of the samples. Collection involves sea-going staff and cultivation site owners. Transportation may be by air, boat and or road. Scientific st…

8 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans are in place for sampling for amnesic shellfish poisoning during (a) bad weather and (b) the holiday season.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The shellfish toxin sampling continues throughout holidays and weekends to ensure that public health is protected at all times. However bad weather will limit the harvesting of samples. Measures are taken to ensure that immediately the weather improves sampli…