§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress so far made to eradicate salmonella from eggs.
§ Mrs. BrowningFollowing a report of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food on Salmonella in Eggs, the Government ceased to require the monitoring of commercial egg laying flocks for salmonella and the compulsory slaughter of those infected with salmonella enteritidis in February 1993. Controls on breeding flocks were brought into line with those required under Council directive 92/117/EEC later that year. A survey of home produced eggs carried out by the Public Health Laboratory Service in 1991 revealed that 99.3 per cent. of six-egg packs tested were found not to contain salmonella enteritidis. The steering group for the microbiological safety of food is considering the need for a further survey in 1995. The Government continue to fund research into the control of salmonella in poultry and the survival of salmonella in eggs. The egg industry is actively consolidating best practice for the transport, handling and storage of eggs into an industry code of practice. Much of the industry already had adopted such procedures.