HL Deb 17 December 1979 vol 403 cc1436-7

2.39 p.m.

Baroness SHARPLES

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the situation after 31st December as far as imports of liquid milk from the continent are concerned.

The MINISTER of STATE, MINISTRY of AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES and FOOD (Earl Ferrers)

My Lords, after 31st December the sale of milk in metric containers will be permitted. In all other respects, including health and compositional requirements, the position will remain unchanged.

Baroness SHARPLES

My Lords, I thank my noble friend the acting Leader of the House for that reply. Is there a possibility that imported milk will undercut the price of our own milk?

Earl FERRERS

My Lords, the present position is that imported pre-packed milk cannot be sold here unless it is unpacked, heat-treated again and repacked on registered premises in this country. That expense will probably render the imported milk non-competitive.

Lord WALLACE of COSLANY

My Lords, can the noble Earl confirm that deliveries of milk to British households in the customary British manner will continue, as rumours are again prevalent that the good old system of milk deliveries to the doorstep is likely to be in jeopardy?

Earl FERRERS

My Lords, I think that the delivery of milk to the doorstep is one of the most important facets of our national life, and we wish to see this continued.

Lord SWAYTHLING

My Lords, can the noble Earl say what steps can be taken to ensure that proper health and hygiene regulations, such as ours, will be enforced? Because one has reports that the standard of health and hygiene of the milk-producing farmers on the continent, especially in France, is very much below that in this country.

Earl FERRERS

My Lords, our standards are extremely high. At the moment there is no common European Commission Directive on uniformity of standards, although one is lying on the table. We would not wish to see any agreement to a European standard being reached if it lowered in any way the standard which we have at the moment.

Lord LEATHERLAND

My Lords, following the noble Lord's supplementary question, may I ask the noble Earl—and I do so as one who very frequently slept in French cowsheds in 1915 and onwards—whether it is a fact that milk from French farms is likely to be contaminated because the cows are kept in most insanitary cowsheds?

Earl FERRERS

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Leatherland, has had the advantage of me if he has slept in a French cowshed. All I would tell him is that any milk which is sold in Great Britain must conform to the standards which Great Britain has. We make those standards operate by having premises which are registered and inspected by the local authorities. Therefore, any milk which comes from France, even if it is produced in the disagreeable situations which the noble Lord, Lord Leatherland, has suggested, would have to be treated in premises which are under the supervision of local authorities.