§ Sir R. Russellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the nature of the following quantities of carcase meat imported in the United Kingdom in the first nine months of 1967, namely, 4 hundredweights from Hong Kong, 80 hundredweights from Western Germany, 24 hundredweights from Tanzania, 3 hundredweights from Switzerland, and 2 hundredweights from Syria; which of these countries have had outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease recently, and what steps are taken to see that such meat is free from disease before it leaves the country of origin.
§ Mr. John Mackie:It is not possible to state precisely the nature of the meat from Hong Kong, West Germany, Switzerland or Syria, but it does not include any meat from bovines or other animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease. There is no need, therefore, to take steps to see that this meat is free from foot-and-mouth disease before it leaves the country of origin. The imports from Tanzania are listed in the provisional returns as frozen edible offals of beef and mutton. Such imports would be subject to licence laying down disease safeguards, but no licences have been issued for the period under consideration. I am inquiring into this discrepancy.