§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to press for an indefinite European Commission moratorium on the use of the artificial milk-boosting hormone bovine somatotropin; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanIf BST were shown fully to meet the criteria of safety, quality and efficacy—which is not our current scientific advice—farmers should be free to decide, in the light of their vets' advice and their customers' requirements, whether or not they wish to use it, as for other products meeting the licensing criteria. This would not be possible if there were an indefinite moratorium.