§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they accept the recommendations for additional research on salmonella in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's joint report with the Department of Health and the British Egg Information Council.
§ The Paliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Trumpington)The Government devote substantial resources to research on food safety. We have now re-examined carefully the coverage of the existing programmes and the research needs newly identified in the joint report. Accordingly new research amounting to £1 million annually is being commissioned to cover the recommendations in the report relating to the possible contamination of eggs and the pathogenicity of the salmonella organisms672WA as well as the growth and survival of the pathogen in processed eggs and egg products. The programmes will draw on the expertise available at my department's central veterinary laboratory, at the Institute of Animal Health of the Agriculture and Food Research Council and at the food research associations.