§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ban the sale of imported pork products which are of a type that cannot legally be produced in the United Kingdom. [76753]
§ Mr. Rooker[holding answer 15 March 1999]I assume that the hon. Member is referring to imported pork products which were produced from pigs which may have been reared in stall and tether production systems or fed with pig feed containing meat and bone meal (MBM). An import ban on such products would be incompatible with our EU and World Trade Organisation obligations. I will, however, continue to urge retailers and caterers to take account of animal welfare and other considerations when sourcing pork and pork products. The hon. Member may be aware that major UK retailers have given voluntary assurances to Ministers that they will only source own label fresh pork, bacon, ham, sausages and pork pies from stall and tether and MBM free production systems.