§ 7. Mr. WareingTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next expects to meet representatives of the poultry industry to discuss the state of the sector.
§ Mr. WareingWhen the Minister next meets representatives of the industry, what will his answer be if they tell him that our poultry meat inspection charges are not subsidised, unlike those of our European Community competitors? That means an extra 4p a pound on poultry meat to British farmers, with the result that 18 per cent. of poultry meat is imported into this country. The disadvantages placed on the industry mean that it costs our farmers 5p a dozen more to produce eggs. Are the Government trying to ruin our industry at a time when 18 per cent. of poultry meat is imported and we have a food trade deficit of more than £6 billion—the worst deficit of any industry in this country?
§ Mr. CurryI think that the hon. Gentleman has not quite got his figures right on imports. We are 98 per cent. self-sufficient in poultry meat, although there has been an increase in imports of whole frozen chickens, which have penetrated the market. That happened in 1990, not last year, when the figures were relatively stable. It is true that the industry has to bear some costs. The House will have heard what my hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean) said about the poultry meat inspection charges. We have to impose charges when dealing with salmonella. It would be irresponsible not to guarantee to the consumer that British products are absolutely safe to eat. I have no doubt that those same consumers, when exercising their choice about what to buy, will want to be absolutely sure that products imported to the United Kingdom have had to undergo precisely the same levels of checks and monitoring as products exported from the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. HindMy hon. Friend will be aware of concern in the poultry industry about meat inspection. There is a difference in price of 4p a pound in poultry meat due to inspection charges. Will my hon. Friend press the Treasury to sort out the issue of the cost of meat inspection to ensure that the thousands of jobs presently at risk in the poultry industry will be made secure?
§ Mr. CurryThe complaint about meat inspections in the United Kingdom is that the charges levied by different local authorities vary widely. Some of the overall costs are due to meat inspections, but not all of them. It is important to recognise, too, that there are certain structural problems in the industry; but, above all, we must tackle the problem of the failure of the French to observe the rules effectively and their failure to employ enough inspectors. We have opened discussions with Mr. MacSharry on that, we are pushing the Community for urgency on the zoonoses regulations, and the Commission has before it a proposal to overhaul the meat inspection and meat hygiene directive. We shall push on all those matters in the interests of the United Kingdom poultry industry.
§ Mr. SalmondIf the Minister holds meetings on the poultry industry, why does not his hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean), the 445 Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, agree to meet me to discuss the case of my constituent Mr. Johnston, a duck producer from Sharnidubs, who has been shabbily treated by the Ministry? Does the Minister understand that the arrogance and insensitivity of his hon. Friend, who has not agreed to a meeting for about four months now, has been noted not just by Mr. Johnston but by every farmer in the north-east of Scotland?
§ Mr. CurryThe hon. Member's limited range of adjectives will have been noted by everyone in the House. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary has said that he will always defend the Department's policies in this House; he will do so whenever challenged to.