<p>Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople</p>

Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:46 pm on 28 June 2017.

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Photo of Mr Neil Hamilton Mr Neil Hamilton UKIP 1:46, 28 June 2017

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for that reply. I’m afraid my reading list is not quite as extensive as hers; it does not extend to Conservative press releases. But—[Interruption.] But can I raise a related issue? At the moment, the European Union is considering reducing permitted levels of zinc oxide, which is an important chemical in the post-weaning of pigs to reduce problems with diarrhoea. There doesn’t seem to be any problem with zinc levels in the ground in Britain or in Wales, but, if zinc oxides were to be banned, or significant restrictions were to be introduced on their use, this could mean wider use of antibiotics and that could obviously lead to microbial resistance. Calculations have been made that, if you delayed weaning of piglets from 28 to 42 days as one means of compensating for not being able to use this chemical, that would cost half a litter per year per sow, which would be £156 per sow, which would be a significant diminution in farmers’ incomes for those who specialise in pigs. So, can the Cabinet Secretary tell me whether she is making representations on behalf of Welsh farmers against the current proposal on the table in the EU?