§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has made regarding EC document 8062/88; and whether he has urged the EC to recognise the role of United Kingdom district councils in the inspection of slaughterhouses and food hygiene duties.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonMy officials have made it clear in discussion on this proposal that it is premature to consider arrangements for veterinary checks in advance of agreement on more fundamental aspects of the animal health arrangements to apply within the single market.
I am not aware of any proposals which would seek to change the existing role of district councils in slaughterhouse inspections or food law enforcement.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the findings of the Association of District Councils that there is no evidence to suggest that the veterinary presence in export slaughterhouses has contributed to any significant improvement in the protection of public health.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonWe have always maintained that the presence of veterinary surgeons is not essential to guarantee satisfactory standards of hygiene in abattoirs. Veterinary supervision is required if plants are to be approved to export. This is not an additional requirement but a different one. Domestic slaughterhouses rely largely on environmental health officers whose professional status is of the highest order.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is his policy towards placing total reliance on the inspection and certification of meat by veterinarians in other European Community countries as against the practice of inspection of incoming meat consignments by environmental health officers in the United Kingdom;
(2) what assessment he has made of the health implications of placing total reliance on the inspection and certification of meat by veterinarians in other EC countries and of the current practice of inspection of incoming meat consignments by environmental health officers in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonIn accordance with Community rules, enforcement authorities physically inspect only a sample of consignments of meat from other member states. Meat traded between member states must be covered by a certificate signed by an authorised veterinary officer confirming that the Community's strict hygiene rules have been observed. These arrangements work well and in negotiations on the single market I shall seek to ensure that adequate provision for such sample checks is retained.
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§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of European Community directives and regulations on the inspection of meat and meat products in the run-up to the single European market and on the likely changes in terms of staffing and finance that will be required to meet these requirements;
(2) What assessment he has had made of the impact of European Community directives and regulations on monitoring for health purposes of meat and meat products in the run-up to the single European market and on the likely changes in terms of staffing and finance that will be required to meet these requirements.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThe arrangements for meat inspection in the single market will depend upon decisions still to be taken by the Council of Ministers and it is not yet possible therefore to estimate the effects on staffing and costs. It is clear, however, that we shall need to move towards a well-understood supervision system in all meat plants and we shall be discussing how this should be achieved with the interests concerned.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of the veterinary presence in export slaughterhouses on the protection of public health;
(2) what assessment he has made of the health implications of the veterinary presence in export slaughterhouses.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonVeterinary supervision is required if slaughterhouses are to engage in intra-Community trade or export to third countries. If this requirement was not met our industry would not be able to export meat and meat products. Last year this trade was worth £590 million. I have never accepted, however, that veterinary supervision is essential to guarantee satisfactory standards of hygiene.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what assessment he has made of the consistency of inspections in respect of food and food production in each member state of the European Community; and what steps he will take to ensure that the public of the United Kingdom is protected during the approach to the integrated single European market and after its completion.
§ Mr. RyderNo detailed assessment has been made of the consistency of inspections of food and food production in each member state. However, we are aware, from the negotiations on the European Community directive on the official control of foodstuffs, of the different types of inspection systems in operation in other member states. The United Kingdom supported the EC directive on official control, adopted on 14 June 1989, which lays down general principles for food inspection across the Community, including the provision that inspections shall be carried out regularly and where non-compliance is suspected and that they shall cover all stages of the manufacturing and distributive cycle. The directive also provides for the Commission to make recommendations for co-ordinated inspection programmes to ensure a consistent approach. It is regarded as a first step towards the building of mutual confidence between member states in this very important area. Together with other measures envisaged, for example on food hygiene, this should ensure112W that the public is fully protected. In the meantime, the preamble to the official control directive indicates that there should be no changes to well-tried systems of food inspection; we consider that the United Kingdom system is in that category.