§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to give protection to British poultrymeat processors from unfair overseas competition.
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§ Mr. MacGregorI shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the total annual number of checks made by his Department and by local authorities on the water content, quality and hygiene of imports of poultrymeat since the latest regime was established.
§ Mrs. FennerResponsibility for enforcement of the relevant legislation lies with local authorities and information available to me is insufficient to permit an overall estimate of the number of checks made to be calculated. All imports of poultrymeat must be accompanied by a health certificate, which is subject to scrutiny at the point of import.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many prosecutions have been brought following checks by his Department and local authorities on the water content, quality and hygiene of imports of poultrymeat in the last three years for which figures are available; and what was the outcome of these prosecutions.
§ Mr. FennerProsecutions are a matter for local authorities and the information sought is not held centrally. My Department has, however pursued with the appropriate authorities of the exporting countries a number of complaints in relation to the requirements of directive 71/118 and the Poultry Meat (Water Content) Regulations 1984.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what manpower and financial resources are available to his Department and to local authorities to check the water content, hygiene and quality of imports of poultrymeat.
§ Mrs. FennerEnforcement of these provisions is a responsibility of local authorities, which draw as necessary on their overall manpower and financial resources. In addition, my Department's veterinary service is available to advise as requested on poultrymeat hygiene matters.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what powers are available to his Department and to local authorities to check the water content, quality, and hygiene of imports of poultrymeat at the point of entry and thereafter.
§ Mrs. FennerThe Food Act provides powers to examine consignments of imported poultrymeat, to take samples for analysis and to enter premises for these purposes.