§ Sir R. Glynasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what steps his Department is taking to control the supply and distribution of horseflesh as this commodity is being used as a supplementary food for human consumption; and whether, as with the present increased demand for this commodity there may be a number of illicit slaughtering establishments where horses are killed without the use of the humane killer and as the controlled price for horseflesh has resulted in such an increase in the prices paid for live horses that the knacker can now outbid the farmer or small trader with the consequent loss to the community as a whole, he will consider fixing a price for a live animal?
§ Mr. MabaneIn view of the relatively small quantity of food involved the existing control measures referred to in my reply to the hon. Member on 1st July are regarded as adequate. The use for the business of slaughtering horses of any premises which are not licensed by the local authority to be kept as a slaughterhouse or knacker's yard is an offence under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938. Suitable action would be taken upon any evidence of contravention of the Statute. The maximum prices for horseflesh for human consumption were prescribed in consultation with the agricultural departments who were naturally concerned that they should not be placed at such a level as would lead to unduly high prices being paid for horses fit for further work. The 1097W prescribing of prices for live horses sold for slaughter would present considerable difficulty owing to the wide variation in condition and killing-out percentage. In the case of livestock bought for slaughter by my Department, it has been found necessary to devise a scale of prices varying with the grade of animal coupled with administrative machinery for control of the grading. This could not be jutified in the case of horses.