HC Deb 23 March 1999 vol 328 cc219-20W
Mr. Letwin

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will allow abattoirs to operate under the rules of the Date Based Export Scheme for part of each week whilst operating normally on other days. [78022]

Mr. Rooker

[holding answer 22 March 1999]: European Commission Decision 98/692/EC, which governs the Data-based Export Scheme (DBES), requires that the only cattle DBES abattoirs may slaughter are those that are eligible for the scheme. However, DBES abattoirs may slaughter sheep and pigs, to which the DBES controls would not apply.