§ Mr. MacGregorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether he is satisfied with the training facilities available in Norfolk for environmental health officers and authorized 126W meat inspectors if the EEC Directive on Poultry Meat Inspection is implemented as at present planned by Her Majesty's Government; if local authorities are to provide an inspection service on 1st January 1977; and what are these facilities;
(2) whether he is satisfied with the training facilities available in Norfolk for poultry meat inspectors if the EEC Directive on poultry meat inspection is implemented as at present planned by Her Majesty's Government and if local authorities are to provide an inspection service on 1st January 1977; and what these facilities are;
(3) whether he is satisfied that there will be sufficient properly qualified inspectors of the various grades required to carry on the EEC Directive on Poultry Meat Inspection throughout the country by 1st January 1977.
§ Mr. StrangThere will be difficulties in Norfolk as elsewhere, but we believe that these difficulties can be overcome. We are in continuing consultation with representative bodies and I believe that it will be possible to adopt a sufficiently flexible approach progressively to introduce an inspection service beginning in January next. In relation to Norfolk, I understand that the authorities of the Norwich City College are in touch with the Royal Society of Heath which will deal as expeditiously as possible with applications for course approvals.
§ Mr. MacGregorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is his intention that supervision under the draft regulations on the EEC Directive on Poultry Meat Inspection will mean complete and full-time supervision in poultry processing plants by poultry meat inspectors during all slaughtering hours, or whether it will be sufficient that inspectors are satisfied that the procedures are being properly applied in general and are only asked to make random checks and inspections.
§ Mr. StrangPoultry meat inspectors acting under the responsibility of an official veterinary surgeon will require to be in attendance whenever poultry meat production is in progress when the regulations are fully in operation. As to the attendance of the supervising 127W veterinarian, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Devon, West (Mr. Mills) on 17th February.—[Vol. 905, c. 603.] We shall, however, be asking local authorities to take a flexible attitude to manning levels while the inspection service is being phased-in.