Written question asked by Owen Paterson (Conservative) on Tuesday, 2 March 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 March 2004. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Thursday, 25 March 2004 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the change in premiums for bovine TB insurance policies since 1997.

Answer: Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the change in premiums for bovine TB insurance policies since 1997. [159070] Mr. Bradshaw: No such assessment has been made. Insurance companies will make their own decisions on whether to insure, and about the size of premiums, based on their assessment of the risk. Contact between officials and the insurance industry early in 2003 indicated that, although companies are honouring existing policies, they are not offering new policies to cover TB in cattle herds, particularly in areas where TB is increasingly prevalent. This is because farmers do not wish to take the cover in areas where the risk is low (such as Yorkshire), but do wish to purchase cover in areas of high incidence (such as the South West). However, the insurance companies considered that the financial risks in offering insurance policies in areas of high incidence were too high at that time.

Secondary information