§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many abattoirs there were in 1993 and 1994; and how many of these met European Community standards.
§ Sir Hector MonroAt the end of 1993, there were 54 licensed red meat abattoirs in Scotland, of which 27 fully met European Community standards and were approved to trade throughout the EC. Of the remainder, 17 plants were operating under a temporary derogation while upgrading towards full EC status and 10 plants were low-throughput premises.
At the end of 1994, 31 of the 49 licensed red meat abattoirs were up to the full EC standard. Ten plants continued to operate under a temporary derogation and eight plants had low-throughput status.