§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks he has carried out to establish the presence or otherwise of antibiotics in milk destined for human consumption; what the results show; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryAll antibiotic products must be licensed under the Medicines Act. One of the licence conditions is that the product label must include details of the withholding period to be observed before milk can be taken for human consumption. The working party on veterinary residues in animal products keeps the position under review and, in addition, the Milk Marketing Board operates a strict testing regime for antibiotics in milk and applies severe penalties if consignments fail.