§ Ms CorstonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the use of stilboesterol in the dairy industry; and if he will indicate when it was(a) introduced in the United Kingdom and (b) discontinued; and if he will make a statement. [14277]
§ Mrs. BrowningStilboesterol was used from the 1960s until its prohibition in bovine and other animals on 31 May 1982 by the Medicines (Stilbenes and Thyrostatic Substances) Regulations 1982. From the Ministry's on-going statutory residues surveillance programme, there is no evidence that stilboesterol or any other growth promoting hormones are being used in Great Britain. The results of this surveillance are published in the Veterinary Medicine Directorate's annual report on surveillance for veterinary residues and updated quarterly in its Medicines Act Veterinary Information Service—MAVIS—newsletter.