§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what forms of grant aiding of abattoirs are permitted under EC regulatory requirements.
§ Mr. SoamesThe long-standing system of EC grants for projects for the marketing and processing of agricultural626W produce, which did not apply to slaughterhouses, closed on 30 September 1992. There is currently no replacement EC scheme.
Compliance with EC slaughterhouse standards has never brought with it any guarantee of help to defray the costs involved. Nor, though it is quite common for new statutory standards to be introduced, is it usual for grant aid to be provided to enable them to be achieved. The provision of such aid would be quite unfair on those who have already made the commitment of there own funds to come up to standard or those who have maintained their premises to comply with existing GB legislation and will have to do little to comply with the new rules.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of(a) the capacity of slaughtering facilities in the United Kingdom, (b) the extent to which the capacity of slaughtering facilities in the United Kingdom meets the demand for such activities and (c) the extent to which the capacity for slaughtering in the United Kingdom meets the requirements of small butchers to select livestock for slaughter.
§ Mr. SoamesThe Meat and Livestock Commission estimates the theoretical Great Britain slaughter capacity after 1992 will be nearly 300,000 livestock units a week, compared with average weekly slaughterings in 1990–91 of fewer than 200,000 livestock units.
Where demand exists for particular types of slaughtering facilities, the market will no doubt ensure that this is met.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what EC mechanisms exist to ensure that all EC countries apply the regulations relating to abattoirs consistently; and what differences he has identified between the United Kingdom's approach to the use of veterinary personnel for inspection in abattoirs and that adopted by other EC countries.
§ Mr. SoamesAll member states have to notify the Commission when and how they have implemented EC directives. In the red meat sector the Commission has a veterinary inspectorate which visits each member state regularly to ensure that the EC legislation is being properly applied.
The United Kingdom has traditionally made less use of veterinary personnel for food hygiene work than most other member states. The Government consider that veterinary surgeons have an important role at abattoirs in the protection of human and animal health, and therefore accepted the requirements in the EC Fresh Meat Directive 91/497 for all abattoirs to be supervised by a veterinary surgeon and for all animals to undergo veterinary ante-mortem inspection. This is already the position in 627W most other member states, many of which also use qualified veterinary surgeons for post-mortem inspection which will normally continue to be done by meat inspectors in this country.
The United Kingdom has successfully resisted EC proposals for compulsory veterinary supervision of meat products plants.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) to what extent the welfare of casualty livestock being transported is taken into account in the implementation of EC regulations on abattoir standards;
(2) to what extent animal welfare considerations have been taken into account in determining implementation of EC regulations relating to abattoir standards.
§ Mr. SoamesThe structural and handling requirements of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992 take account of the need to protect the welfare of animals. The requirement for veterinary ante-mortem inspection of all animals post-1992 will provide further safeguards.
Casualty animals must receive speedy and compassionate treatment. No sick or injured animal should be transported at all if to do so would cause it unnecessary pain or suffering. Under the Fresh Meat Regulations all slaughterhouses have to have facilities to isolate animals which are diseased or injured or suspected of being diseased or injured. I am aware, however, that some large slaughterhouses may be reluctant to take in casualties and I will monitor the situation closely next year.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has made to the European Commission on derogation for small abattoirs to be permitted to slaughter increased numbers of livestock.
§ Mr. SoamesI refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply my right hon. Friend the Minister gave regarding safeguarding small traditional slaughterhouses on Wednesday, 3 December,Official Report, columns 223–24.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimates he has made of the need for the increased movement of animals for slaughter arising out of EC requirements on slaughterhouse specifications.
§ Mr. SoamesNone. There is no evidence that farmers always send animals to the nearest slaughterhouse and, of course, many animals go for slaughter via livestock markets.