§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will compensate members of the public who have been poisoned by salmonella eggs and provide legal and other assistance for those who wish to claim damages against the egg producers in question.
§ The Prime MinisterNo. Producers and suppliers of food owe a legal duty to care to the ultimate consumer of the food to ensure that the food is fit to eat. Those who have suffered food poisoning that is due to a breach of that duty by the producer or supplier would have a right to take action through the courts to obtain compensation.
§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Prime Minister whether the majority of egg production enterprises with more than 1,000 laying hens are completely free of salmonella; and if490W she will publish in the Official Report figures showing the number of such enterprises and the number of official veterinary inspections carried out in 1987 and to date.
§ The Prime MinisterIn 1988, a total of 20 cases of salmonella enteritidis were reported under the Zoonoses Order 1975. There are around 38,500 enterprises in Great Britain of which 2,052 have over 1,000 laying birds. Since April 1988, all reports of salmonella enteritidis in laying hens have been investigated by veterinary officers of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Prime Minister whether she will take steps to ensure that no egg farmer is paid compensation directly or indirectly in respect of lost egg sales unless she is satisfied that the undertaking in question has not sold contaminated eggs in 1987 and that the hen flocks are now completely free of salmonella.
§ The Prime MinisterNo. To take selective action against producers who have reported salmonella in the past would create a disincentive to the reporting of such problems in the future.