§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered working abattoirs there were in England and Wales on 1 January. [148050]
§ Ms StuartI am informed by the Food Standards Agency that in England and Wales on 1 January there were 351 licensed red meat abattoirs and 121 licensed white meat abattoirs. It is understood that of these, 315 red meat abattoirs and 118 white meat abattoirs were operating during the first week of January 2001.
A number of licensed abattoirs may not be operating at any one time for a variety of reasons, such as seasonal operation, refurbishment or if their licence is in the process of being revoked.