§ Mr. SykesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what additional training veterinary surgeons will have to undertake in order to carry out the ante and post-mortem inspection proposed under the EC directive on slaughterhouses.
§ Mr. SoamesAnte and post-mortem inspections are already required under United Kingdom legislation. For meat going for intra-community trade the ante-mortem must be carried out by an official veterinary surgeon and the new rules extend this requirement to meat going for domestic consumption. In the United Kingdom postmortem inspections will generally continue to be carried out by meat inspectors although in many other member states it is normally performed by a fully qualified veterinary surgeon.
The degree qualification obtained by every veterinary surgeon fully equips him or her to perform both ante and 714W post-mortem inspections. In order to be designated by the Minister as an official veterinary surgeon in Great Britain a veterinary surgeon has to undertake a short course organised by the Department to bring him or her up to date with the latest United Kingdom and EC meat hygiene technology, legislation and practice.