§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment has been made of the extent to which(a) Dutch firms transporting live animals through the United Kingdom and (b) Dutch slaughterhouses dealing with British animals comply with relevant required EC and United Kingdom standards.
§ Mr. SoamesSpot checks on transport standards are carried out by local authority and Ministry inspectors. These have revealed some deficiencies which we have taken up with the member states concerned.
As regards slaughter, all member states are required to have implemented Council directive 74/577/EEC on the stunning of animals before slaughter. It is the responsibility of the EC Commission to ensure that member states fulfil their legal obligations; if we became aware of any failure to comply by another member state we would notify this to the Commission and, if necessary, take the matter up with the other country. We are satisfied that the Netherlands has implemented the requirements of directive 74/577/EEC in its national laws.
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