§ 18. Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the United Kingdom's present capacity for production of hens' eggs.
§ Mr. RyderIt is not possible to make a precise estimate of the United Kingdom's total capacity for production of hens' eggs. In 1988, approximately 12 billion hens' eggs were produced in the United Kingdom, but this may not have reflected the use of all the capacity for production that was available.
§ 19. Mr. BradleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the number of egg laying poultry that have been culled under his scheme announced on 19 December.
§ Mr. RyderLatest available information is that some 200,000 birds have been culled so far under the slaughter of hens scheme.
§ 21. Mr. ClellandTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the future of egg production in the United Kingdom.
§ 28. Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the future of egg consumption in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. RyderThe two schemes which my hon. Friend the Minister announced on 19 December have helped to restore stability to the egg market. The further measures to improve animal health and hygiene in the egg industry should enable public confidence to be restored in eggs as a safe and nutritious food. Egg producers should now be able to use their commercial judgment to draw up their future plans.
§ 34. Mr. AshleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date he expects salmonella in poultry to be so reduced as to permit old and young people to eat eggs safely again and other people to use them in mayonnaise and similar products.
§ Mr. RyderI regret that it is not possible to give a precise answer. Salmonella infection is a highly complex issue involving a great number of factors. It would be misleading to state that it can definitely be eradicated. No country to our knowledge has salmonella-free flocks, but we are working urgently to tackle the problem at every point in the production chain to reduce incidence. In the meantime, consumers should continue to follow the chief medical officer's advice about the use of eggs.
37. Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his latest estimate as to the true extent of infection by salmonella enteritidis in eggs and poultry in Britain.
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§ Mr. RyderIt is not possible to make a precise estimate as to the extent of infection by salmonella enteritidis in eggs or in poultry. As far as eggs are concerned, I agree with what my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health told the House on 5 December 1988 at column19, that the risk to any individual is small and the risk to the healthy adult small indeed. As for poultrymeat, thorough thawing of frozen poultry, thorough cooking of poultry and proper handling of poultrymeat in the kitchen should remove any risk.
§ 40. Mr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of jobs likely to be lost in the poultry industry as a result of the culling of 4 million hens under the proposals he announced on 19 December 1988.
§ Mr. RyderThe schemes which my right hon. Friend announced on 19 December to assist the disposal of surplus eggs and to help the industry to reduce the size of the laying flock have helped to stabilise the market and to restore a degree of confidence.
I have no firm information about the number of people who may have lost employment in egg production and packing plants following the sudden drop in demand which occurred last month. I regret if any jobs have been lost and hope that with the recovery of the market they will soon be restored.
It would be quite wrong to suggest that the Government's schemes have been responsible for job losses. Quite clearly, the schemes have helped to sustain employment in the industry.
§ 48. Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give his estimate of the size of the United Kingdom laying hen flock at the present date.
§ Mr. RyderThe annual agricultural census at June 1988 recorded a total of 37.1 million laying fowls in the United Kingdom. In addition, it is estimated that there are a further 250,000 laying fowls on those very small holdings which are not required to make annual returns under the census. The census results will be published shortly.
§ 51. Mr. Sean HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he most recently met representatives of the United Kingdom poultry industry to discuss the emergency measures to assist egg producers.
§ Mr. RyderI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Barron) earlier today.
§ 59. Mr. Tim SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much compensation he now estimates will be paid to egg producers following his statement of 19 December.
§ Mr. RyderThe latest available information is that up to £2.6 million will be paid in the United Kingdom for the destruction of eggs under the eggs industry scheme and about £800,000 for the culling of hens under the slaughter of hens scheme.
§ 64. Mr. ColvinTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the total imports of foreign eggs to the United Kingdom in December 1988 and 1987.
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§ Mr. RyderIn December 1987, 55,700 boxes of eggs in shell (containing 360 eggs/box) were imported into the United Kingdom. The provisional figure for December 1988 is 21,575 boxes.
§ Mr. AdleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has of the quality of British eggs and those of the other 11 European Economic Community countries.
§ Mr. RyderAll hens' eggs marketed in the European Community must comply with Council regulation 2772/75 and Commission regulation 95/69 which lay down common requirements for quality, weight, labelling and marking throughout the production chain.
§ Mr. AdleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many eggs have been tested for salmonella since the statement of the former Under-Secretary of State for Health, the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie); what the results have been; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RyderThe information is not available in the form requested. However, during the period 23 November to 13 January a total of 9,425 eggs from 320 flocks or units were tested for salmonella by Ministry of Agriculture officials. None were found to be infected. The PHLS has, of course, continued to monitor outbreaks of food poisoning some of which may be related to eggs.