§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many prosecutions have been initiated as a result of the discovery by his Department of free-range eggs which have not been packed in a packing station being sold from shops.;
(2) how many staff are employed by his Department in ensuring that free-range eggs are not sold in shops unless they have been through a packing station;
(3) what is the best estimate of the total number of shops in the United Kingdom currently selling free-range eggs which have not been packed in a packing station;
(4) what was the total cost to public funds of the visit made by Mr. Sweetman, of the regional egg marketing insepectorate, at Leeds, to the Good Life shop, Wooler, on 1 November, in connection with the sale of free-range eggs; and what was the amount of time spent by the officer concerned (a) in travelling for the purpose of the visit and (b) at the premises;
(5) whether he has any plans to publicise to consumers and to retailers the regulations restricting the sale of free-range eggs from shops which have not been packed in a packing station.
§ Mr. CurryEC regulations require that all hens' eggs sold by retail (other than eggs sold by the producer directly to the final consumer on the producer's own premises, by door-to-door deliveries or in a local public market) are graded and packed by authorised packing centres. This applies to free range eggs as well as to those produced in other systems.
467WEnforcement of the regulations at retail level is a matter for local authorities and not my Department, and I have no estimate of the number of shops which currently breach the regulations. When requested, my egg marketing inspectorate gives assistance to the local authorities but it is not possible to identify what proportion of this assistance is devoted to the enforcement of the rules specific to free range eggs. The visit in question was made during the course of routine visits in Northumberland in the period 1–2 November by the regional egg marketing inspector.
The present rules concerning the sale of free range eggs came into operation on 16 July 1985 and were publicised (with other changes to the regulations) in a trade press notice of 17 July 1985 (a copy of which I have placed in the Library of the House). This was reinforced by a further press notice on 27 August 1987 (a copy of this is also in the Library). My Department has taken pains to explain these rules to all who enquire about them or whose businesses include the marketing of eggs. We shall continue to offer such advice as necessary.