§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements are in place to ensure the separation of cattle in the over-30-months scheme from those outside the scheme in abattoirs; how these arrangements differ from those in the rest of the United kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [13538]
§ Mr. Raymond S. Robertson[holding answer 29 January 1997]: The arrangements in place aim to assist the restoration of consumer confidence in beef.
Regulation (EC No. 716/96 requires separation in time and space of cattle being processed under the scheme from those intended for human consumption.
In Scotland this is ensured by abattoirs contracting with the Government to slaughter over-30-month cattle only. There are interim arrangements for Orkney given the special circumstances there. The contractual arrangements reflect representations from the Scottish meat industry, retail, consumer and food safety representative bodies.