HC Deb 23 February 1993 vol 219 cc565-6W
Mr. David Porter

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate his Department has made of the number of abattoirs that cannot afford to meet current meat hygiene regulations which will cease business in the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames

Any premises which could not comply with the structural requirements of the regulations on 1 January was able to apply for aid temporary derogation to enable it to continue to operate whilst it upgraded. These derogations may last until 31 December 1995, some four and a half years after the EC directive was published. My right hon. Friend the Minister and I have ensured that the regulations have been interpreted as flexibly and sensibly as possible without compromising hygiene.

So far some 544 slaughterhouses in the United Kingdom have applied for temporary derogations for varying times. We believe the applicants are committed to upgrading their structure and would expect them to have made adequate financial provision to finance the work. We have not been advised by any of them that they intended ceasing business in the next two years.

Levels of veterinary inspection are now considerably less than abattoirs would have expected them to be when they were drawing up their temporary derogation applications. We would expect the associated costs to have been a significant consideration in their financial projections.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will apply the criteria of the deregulation initiative to hygiene regulations governing abattoirs; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames

My right hon. Friend the Minister and I have sought always to ensure that the EC red meat directive has not been interpreted in Great Britain in an over-zealous or over-regulatory manner. We are both well seized of the need to apply the Fresh Meat Regulations pragmatically and sensitively; balancing the essential requirement of maintaining public confidence in the integrity of the food supply against the equally important responsibility to ensure that excessive burdens are not imposed on industry.