§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the number of inspections of plants of manufacturers of animal meal to detect the use of banned bone meal, the results of these inspections and the number of prosecutions. [25019]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyThe inclusion of the mammalian meat and bone meal in livestock feed has been prohibited since 29 March 1996, and since that date a total of 2,430 visits have been made to feedmills for the purpose of taking samples of ruminant feed for testing for the presence of mammalian protein.
Of a total of 3,394 samples taken, five samples have given apparently positive results. On further investigation, one positive sample was in material imported from another member state, and the authorities were informed. It was established that the positive results in three samples were not due to the presence of mammalian protein, and the other positive sample proved negative on retesting.
There have therefore been no prosecutions.