§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will show his assessment of the percentage of beef samples with traces of clenbuterol or other artificial promoters in each of the EC member states; how much of this contaminated beef finds it way into the British market; what concerns he has as to whether existing EC legislation to prevent the use of artificial growth promoters is effective; and if he will make a statement. [21315]
§ Mrs. BrowningSurveillance for concentrations of clenbuterol and other artificial growth promoters in beef is carried out in all member states under the terms of directive 86/469/EEC. I regret, however, that information on residues surveillance, comparable with that made available by the veterinary medicines directorate, is not published by other member states, and I cannot therefore comment on the position in those countries.
So far as domestic production is concerned, I can confirm that no clenbuterol positives have been identified in any sample collected from slaughterhouses in Great Britain under the national surveillance scheme since testing began in August 1989, nor have any of the samples tested for the banned hormonal growth promoters been found to be positive since 1992. Samples of beef and other meat and meat products are also purchased from retail outlets in the United Kingdom, under a separate surveillance programme which covers both home produced and imported meat products. During the period July 1993 to March 1994 one sample of calf liver imported from a member state was found to contain traces of clenbuterol below the maximum residue limit of 0.5µg/kg and did not present a hazard to human health.
The use of hormonal growth promoters is banned throughout the European Community, although this ban does not extend to clenbuterol which is an authorised veterinary medicine and available, under prescription, in several member states, including the UK, to treat respiratory ailments in calves and horses and to assist cattle at the time of calving. When used illegally, at high dosages, clenbuterol has similar growth promoting effects to the banned hormones. I am satisfied from the assurances that have been received from member states where a problem with the abuse of these substances is reported to exist, that urgent steps are being taken to stamp out any illegal use, and that consumer safety is not at risk from imported beef.