HC Deb 09 February 1954 vol 523 cc980-1
10. Captain Duncan

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will instruct the Inter-Departmental Committee on Slaughterhouses (Scotland) before submitting their final report, to base their consideration of the siting of slaughter houses on the assumption that slaughtering will be done in the producing areas and that meat will be sent to consuming areas in carcase form.

Commander Galbraith

No, Sir. As one of the terms of reference of the Committee is to advise my right hon. Friend on the general principles of siting slaughterhouses, he can hardly instruct them on the matter.

Captain Duncan

Is not my right hon. and gallant Friend aware that the farmers of Scotland may well produce a meat marketing scheme which might involve local slaughtering, in which case they would want the slaughtering facilities to be made available entirely by the local authorities? If the Committee appointed by my right hon. Friend is only going to report on the slaughtering facilities where ever they may be, and not where they are wanted, it will be a most unsatisfactory report.

Commander Galbraith

The organisations have submitted evidence to the Committee and have made representations on the general siting of the slaughterhouses, some being in favour of the slaughterhouses being sited in the producing areas, and others in favour of their being located in the consuming areas, but the Committee have not yet come to a conclusion on these matters.

Mr. Stokes

Can the Minister assure the House that all these slaughterhouses will be equipped with the most modern slaughtering bays?

Commander Galbraith

I should have thought that the hon. Gentleman would take that as accepted.