The Scottish Executive has responsibility for ensuring the requirements of Article 11 areadhered to in Scotland.

Article 4.1 of the Habitats Directive provides guidance on the selection process for SpecialAreas of Conservation. This states that member states should propose a list ofsites based on the criteria laid out in Annex III of the Directive and relevantscientific information. On the basis of these criteria, member states will designateareas according to their relative value for the conservation of each naturalhabitat type identified in Annex I of the Directive.

Theweb link to the Habitats Directive is:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/nature/habdir.htm.

In accordance with Article4.2 the UK list of raised bog sites has been the subject of detailed discussionwith the European Commission.

It is estimated that 68% of the active raised bog and 34% of the degraded raised bog habitat in Scotland isincluded in designated candidate Special Areas of Conservation.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6758 on 19 March 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.

The Scottish Executive has regular contact with the Welsh Assembly Government and the other UKAdministrations on a range of issues, including GM crops.

A cattle feeding study wascarried out by researchers at Reading University to investigate the effect of T25 (Chardon LL) maizeon ruminants. The study has been completed and the researchers intend to submittheir study to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. The Advisory Committeeon Releases to the Environment (ACRE) will be asked to fully assess the datawhen the peer review process is complete.

The researchers haveconfirmed that the study does not reveal any adverse effects on the health ofruminants fed T25 maize.

The results of the farmscale evaluations were peer reviewed and published in the PhilosophicalTransactions of The Royal Society: Biological Sciences. They wereimmediately forwarded to the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment(ACRE) for advice on the implications for the possible commercialisation ofthese specific GM crops.

In line with the PartnershipAgreement, environmental groups and other interested parties were invited tosubmit their comments on the results to ACRE.  In addition ACRE accepted the Executive’s invitation to hold an openmeeting in Edinburgh, on 4 December 2003, to afford Scottishstakeholders the opportunity to present oral evidence and discuss the results.

All oral and written evidence,including the outcomes of the Edinburgh meeting, were considered by ACRE beforethey gave their advice to government.

I am advised by the FoodStandards Agency that risks associated with dioxins were assessed by theCommittee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and theEnvironment in 2001. The committee’s opinion provides the basis of the agency’sadvice that the benefits of a balanced diet outweigh the risk of dioxin intakefor both adults and children. The biggest diet-related risk to UK health isheart disease and oily fish, including salmon, contain fatty acids that helpprevent this. Most people in the UK do not eat enough oily fish, average consumptionbeing only a quarter of a portion per week.

I am advised by the FoodStandards Agency that the recent publication of an American study in thejournal Science, does not give rise to any new food safety concerns, and thelevels of dioxins found in the farmed salmon and the resultant intakes arebelow the safety levels set by the World Health Organisation, the EuropeanUnion and the United States Food and Drug Administration.

The Food Standards Agencycontinues to advise consumers, on the basis of expert scientific opinion, toeat at least two portions of fish per week, once of which should be an oilyfish such as salmon. Independent experts agree that the known health benefitsfrom eating a portion of oily fish per week outweigh any possible risks.

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.