§ Mr. Williamsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will review his decision not to ban the process of tenderising beef by injection into the jugular vein while the animal is still alive, under constraint in a crush while its head is pulled up.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThe proposal to permit formed part of our response to the Farm Animal Welfare Council's report on the slaughter of red meat animals. Our response was issued to interested organisations for comment and we are reviewing our proposals in the light of representations received.
§ Mr. Williamsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will bring in regulations to enable the consumer to specifically identify meat that has been tenderised by the process of injection of enzymes before the animal was slaughtered;
(2) if he envisages any action to enable consumers to identify meat which has been tenderised by the injection of enzymes.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThe Food Labelling Regulations 1984 already require the name used for any meat which has been treated with proteolytic enzymes or which is derived from an animal that has been so treated shall include or be accompanied by the word "tenderised".
§ Mr. Williamsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if any research is currently sponsored by his Department to complete the work which had been undertaken until spring 1986 at the Institute of Animal 421W Research at Newbury into the development of more sensitive tests capable of picking up low residual levels of hormones and antibiotics in carcasses after slaughter.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonResearch is currently in progress at the Ministry's central veterinary laboratory, Weybridge, on the development and improvement of analytical methods capable of detecting low residual levels of hormones and antibiotics in tissues and body fluids of slaughtered animals.