§ Mr. Cohenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has for further checks on the possible hazards of hormones in meat.
§ Mrs. FennerThe hormonal growth promoters currently authorised for use in livestock production have been scientifically evaluated for safety. My expert committees keep the relevant data under review together with the information provided by the national surveillance scheme for residues in meat, which monitors the extent to which residues of certain growth promoters may be present in the meat supply. My officials are also taking part in the discussions of an EC Council working group on a draft Commission directive for a harmonised Community system of residue monitoring.
§ Mr. Cohenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedures he proposes to institute to seek to secure that the export of meat complies with EEC rules requiring it to be residue free.
§ Mrs. FennerDirective 64/433/EEC, as amended, on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat provides that the exporting country should undertake testing of meat for the presence of certain residues. The directive does not, however, specify tolerance levels for the substances concerned or the frequency of sampling; these are a matter for individual member states to determine pending adoption of a further directive. My Ministry satisfies the import requirements of other member states on the basis of the monitoring carried out under the national surveillance scheme for residues in meat and in some cases supplementary testing of export consignments.