MR. WILLIAM KEDMOND (Clare, E.)To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Colonial Office have received any representations as to the position of the tinned moat trade in New South Wales; and whether he can say if he has any official information that the system of inspection in operation in Australia is so rigorous and careful that the occurrence of any abuse is impossible, and that consequently there has been no complaint whatever as to the excellence of the article supplied by the Australian trade.
(Answered by Mr. Churchill.) Since the hon. Member's Question was put to me on July 2nd, a letter has been received from the Agent-General for New South Wales pointing out that special care is 489 exercised by the New South Wales Government that only healthy beasts are slaughtered for food, and both in freezing and canning works every precaution is taken to ensure that cleanly methods are adopted. All animals intended for human food are, first of all, inspected alive in the sale yards by Government veterinary experts. These inspectors are either veterinary surgeons or have passed a thorough examination in the detection of diseases both in live stock and meat. Subsequently the carcases are inspected in the slaughter-houses which are also under Government control. In transit, in shops, and other places, frequent inspections are made, and these extend in every instance to the whole premises and to all meats or parts of the carcase. Not only this, but the utensils and appliances, in addition to the blood, offal, etc., are inspected, and were any breach of the regulations regarding cleanliness to occur, the licence to such premises would be at once withdrawn. The Government inspectors have to make weekly reports with particulars of the numbers of cattle slaughtered. Not only has every slaughtering establishment to be licensed but every person intending to slaughter cattle for food has to give twelve hours notice to the inspector to enable him to be present, a penalty of £5 being inflicted for every head of cattle which has been slaughtered without proper notice having been given. The laws against slaughtering for food of any cattle that are in any way diseased are strict; and if an inspector finds the milt or spleen of any slaughtered animal to be diseased, he causes the on the carcase to be removed and destroyed under penalty of a fine from £10 to £50. Any person taking such beast to slaughter is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and any one attempting; to sell such diseased meat is liable to a long term of imprisonment. In the establishments where meat is being prepared for canning, etc., the regulations are especially strict. I desire to correct a mistake which was unfortunately made in my Answer to the hon. Member's Question on July 2nd. I then stated that no tinned meat was exported from New South Wales to this country. I should have stated that no boneless meat was exported. Tinned meat is imported from New South Wales and also from Queensland in considerable quantities and in smaller quan- 490 tities from South Australia and Victoria. I understand that in the principal works in Australia where the preserved meat industry is carried on the beasts are killed purely and solely for preserving purposes, and only the finest parts of them go into the tins.