§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many abattoirs are currently operational in(a)the United Kingdom, (b)England, (c)Wales, (d)Humberside and (e)south Humberside; and how many in each section currently meet latest EC hygiene regulations.
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§ Mr. SoamesAt present all abattoirs in Great Britain operate under licences granted by local authorities. Records are not routinely maintained centrally on the operational status of individual abattoirs, other than those which are approved for intra-Community trade. However, annual statistics derived from state veterinary service visits indicate the following approximate figures for the areas in question:
- (a)United Kingdom—686 abattoirs of which 98 are EC export approved.
- (b)England—554 abattoirs of which 54 are EC export approved.
- (e) Wales—52 abattoirs of which 4 are EC export approved.
- (d)Humberside—13 abattoirs of which 1 is EC export approved.
- (e) South Humberside—1 abattoir which is EC export approved.
With effect from 1 January 1993 Agriculture Departments will be responsible for licensing all abattoirs. Staff of the state veterinary service are in the process of visiting all abattoirs wishing to continue trading after this date in order to assess their compliance with the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992, which implement the single market hygiene requirements.