§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will take steps to suspend the import of French beef until French herds are proved to be BSE-free; and if he will make a statement; [144101]
(2) if the Government will impose a precautionary ban on French beef imports until an assessment can be made of the risks to the consumer. [144390]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 8 January 2001]: The Government are advised on matters of food safety by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The FSA has examined the issue of the safety of beef from France. Dr Christl Donnelly cf Imperial College, London has made an assessment of the risks to the consumer from BSE arising from imports of French beef. The results were published in "Nature" on 14 December 2000. The study concluded that if the United Kingdom's over-thirty-month (OTM) rule is fully enforced there is virtually no risk from BSE in French beef imported into the UK. If the OTM rule is only 75 per cent. enforced, then risks posed by British and French meat sold in the UK would be the same. The FSA estimates that OTM enforcement levels in the UK are above 75 per cent.
612WIn these circumstances, the FSA concluded that a ban on the importation of beef from France would not be proportionate to the risk and could not therefore be justified. Nevertheless, the FSA is keeping the position under constant review, taking account of the latest available scientific and other information. The FSA will issue revised advice whenever necessary.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what investigation the Food Standards Agency has undertaken concerning the scientific grounds for banning French beef imports. [144336]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 8 January 2001]: The Government are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that its decision not to recommend a ban on the importation of beef from France is based on two key regulatory requirements, namely the controls on specified risk materials (SRM), and the over-thirty-month (OTM) rule, and on a scientific assessment of the risks of BSE associated with French beef.
European Union rules, which took effect from 1 October 2000, now require the removal of SRM from beef carcases in the country of origin, and United Kingdom legislation prohibits the import of beef containing SRM. The OTM rule prohibits the sale for human consumption of beef from animals over the age of thirty months at time of slaughter. This rule applies equally to beef from cattle that are slaughtered in the UK (with minor exceptions) and to imported beef (again with minor exceptions).
The scientific assessment of the risks of BSE to consumers in the UK arising from French beef was given in a study by Dr. Christl Donnelly of Imperial College London. The results of that study were published in "Nature" on 14 December 2000. The study concluded that if the OTM rule is fully enforced there is virtually no risk from French beef imported into the UK. If the OTM rule is only 75 per cent. enforced, then risks posed by British and French meat sold in the UK would be the same. The FSA estimates that OTM enforcement levels in the UK are above 75 per cent.
The FSA continues to keep the position under constant review, taking account of the latest available scientific and other information. The FSA will issue revised advice whenever necessary.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the(a) membership, (b) duration, (c) itinerary and (d) cost were of the recent Food Standards Agency mission to France to investigate BSE controls. [144342]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 8 January 2001]: The Food Standards Agency has advised that the delegation from the agency which met officials of the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to discuss BSE controls in France comprised David Statham (Director of Enforcement), David Noble (then Director of Legal Services), Chris Lawson (then Head of Meat Hygiene Division), Peter Hewson (Head of HQ Veterinary Team), Leone Austin (then Head of Media Relations), Jane Downes (Acting Director of Veterinary Services, Meat Hygiene Service) and David Carruthers (Head of the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy food safety branch). The delegation was accompanied by David Barnes (First Secretary (Agriculture)) from the British Embassy in Paris and an interpreter.
613WThe delegation arrived in Paris on the evening of 28 November 2000, stayed overnight at the Hotel Saint James and Albany, and then travelled to the Agriculture Ministry at 251, rue de Vaugirard, arriving at 8.30 am. After the conclusion of the meeting at about 11.30 am, the delegation returned to the British Embassy and from there departed from Paris that afternoon.
The total cost of the visit, including travel expenses, hotel accommodation and the services of the interpreter, was £3,860.