HC Deb 23 December 1964 vol 704 cc306-7W
85. Mr. Hector Hughes

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken and plans to take to comply with the recommendation in the Milne Report, Cmnd. 2542, to improve the methods of pasteurisation of food, imported and otherwise, hitherto employed to protect consumers from impure and infected food.

Mr. Hoy

As stated in the reply given to my hon. and learned Friend by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland on 17th December, the Governments of overseas countries exporting meat and meat products to the U.K. have been notified of our detailed hygiene requirements for the certification of such products for importation: we have increased the qualified staff assigned to the inspection of overseas meat producing establishments: and we will shortly be publishing the results of technical inquiries carried out on behalf of the Department into the possibility of using a satisfactory pasteurisation process to render safe canned meat at present withheld from the market because it was produced under unsatisfactory conditions.