§ Mr. Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what consultations have taken place, with whom, when, and with what result, on the recommendation of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566, published in March 1974, on the recommendation that the export of live farm animals for slaughter should be confined to approved slaughterhouses as defined in paragraph 105 of the report;
397W(2) what consultations took place with member States of the EEC, when, and with what result, concerning the recommendation of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566, published in March 1974, that the export licence should include a provision for it to be signed by a veterinary inspector at the slaughterhouse as proof that the conditions of the licence had been observed;
(3) what consultations have taken place, with whom, when, and with what result on the recommenlations of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566, published in March 1974, that veterinary inspection should be carried out at the point of disembarkation to ensure that animals are fit to continue their journey to an approved destination and that they should be rested, fed and watered as required;
(4) what consultations have taken place, with whom, when, and with what results, on the recommendation of the report of the Committee on the Export of Live Animals for Slaughter, Command Paper No. 5566, published in March 1974, that a veterinary inspector at the receiving slaughterhouse should certify that animals were slaughtered in accordance with agreed conditions.
§ Mr. John SilkinI refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him yesterday, which explained when and with whom consultations took place.
The exporting and farming interests consulted were in general agreement with the Committee's recommendation that exports should be allowed only to slaughterhouses which had satisfied certain minimum criteria. Some welfare interests supported this proposal, others considered that it was unenforceable or that conditions in Continental abattoirs were in any case unacceptable.
As regards the recommendation that a veterinary inspector at the receiving slaughterhouse should certify that the animals were slaughtered in accordance with agreed conditions, the welfare interests expressed doubts about the degree of co-operation which would be forthcoming from the receiving slaughterhouses. The farming and exporting interests supported the recommendation.
398WThe Committee's recommendation that a veterinary examination should be carried out at the port of disembarkation to ensure that the animals were fit to continue their journey to the approved destination and that they should be rested, fed and watered as required, was opposed by the welfare interests. They expressed concern that implementation of this recommendation would result in animals travelling very long distances. The exporting and farming interests generally agreed with the recommendation.
As I explained yesterday, the Government announced that after careful consideration they had decided to concentrate on long-term European measures, which the Committee had concluded to be the most effective means of safeguarding the animals' welfare, and not to bring in the proposed interim arrangements.
§ Mr. Freudasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Isle of Ely, Official Report, 22nd May 1978, c. 430, whether he will now take steps to have the estimate provided of the total manpower involved in controlling health and welfare regulations of livestock for export.
§ Mr. BishopMinistry officers are estimated to have spent about 1,900 man-days on this work during the first three months of 1978.