§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied with the present precautions to ensure that horse meat, kangaroo meat and antelope meat are not imported or marketed in Scotland under a false description; whether he is satisfied with precautions against such meat being infected by salmonella; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. YoungerThe import of all meat into this country is subject to strict controls. Imports of all meat for human consumption must come from establishments approved by the United Kingdom Government authorities and must be accompanied by the official certificate of the country of origin that the meat has been produced and prepared to the standards required for entry into the food chain in this country. Enforcement is carried out in the first instance at ports of entry and thereafter by local authorities. In addition, meat in common with all other foodstuffs must not be described in such a way as to mislead as to its nature, substance and quality and there are specific requirements about the sale of horse flesh. I support strict enforcement of the relevant legislation by the enforcement authorities and my officials will continue to keep in close touch with them.