HC Deb 01 February 1993 vol 218 cc71-2W
Mr. Mullin

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 9 November to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies),Official Report, column 610, if he will provide the figures for imports of pâté de foie gras for 1992.

Mr. Curry

The information requested is not yet available. Provisional data for the whole of 1992 is likely to become available from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in mid-February. Upon receipt of the information I shall write to the hon. Member again.

Mr. Mullin

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the controls on the production of pâté de foie gras in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Soames

Pâté de foie gras is not produced in the United Kingdom and there are therefore no specific controls on production methods. Were anyone to propose starting foie gras production, the Government would wish to introduce welfare rules to ensure that force feeding was not permitted.