HC Deb 20 February 1991 vol 186 c161W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many prosecutions there have been in 1990 and 1991 for violations of the Milk (Special Designation) Regulations 1989.

Mr. Curry

In England and Wales these regulations are enforced by this Department in respect of untreated milk producers and by local authorities in respect of processing dairies and distributors of untreated milk. The Department has not mounted any prosecutions under these regulations in 1990 and 1991. However, 147 producers of untreated milk have had their licences suspended for inability to comply with the regulations in the period 1 April to 31 December 1990. Information on prosecutions and other enforcement action taken by local authorities is not held centrally.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to ensure that bottles of untreated milk contain health warnings on the side of the bottle, rather than on the bottle cap.

Mr. Curry

The Milk (Special Designation) Regulations 1989 already require that where untreated milk is sold in a bottle, the wordsThis milk has not been heat treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health must appear elsewhere than on the cap.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to introduce legislation to ban the sale of untreated milk.

Mr. Curry

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Carlisle (Mr. Martlew) on 30 January,Official Report, column 546.