§ Mr. O'HaraTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedures are in place to monitor and control the use of melatonin in the breeding of lambs.
§ Mrs. BrowningOne marketing authorisation has been issued for the use of melatonin in the breeding of lambs.
188WThis product is available on prescription only and must be used under the direction of a veterinary surgeon. Any suspected adverse reactions to the use of medicinal products should be reported to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. The state veterinary service is responsible for the enforcement of legislation which protects the welfare of the lambs and their mothers.
§ Mr. O'HaraTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what survey his Department has conducted into external research; and what research his Department has conducted into(a) the administering of melatonin to ewes, (b) the breeding cycles of ewes artificially induced and (c) the risks to humans of consumption of sheep meat from flocks in which melatonin is used to control artificially the breeding cycles of ewes.
§ Mrs. BrowningNo research is currently being funded by MAFF into the use of melatonin in the breeding of lambs. However, a three-year project investigating the use of melatonin and light treatment as a new method of producing autumn lambs, was funded in 1986. Before any veterinary medicinal product is authorised to be placed on the market in the United Kingdom, it is carefully assessed by the licensing authority, which consults independent scientists, against the statutory criteria of safety—including to the animal, the operator and the consumer of meat and meat products—quality and efficacy. This applies to medicinal products containing melatonin.
§ Mr. O'HaraTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many prosecutions have been pursued against sheep breeders for the conditions under which they have reared winter lambs born as a result of the administering of melatonin to their mothers in each of the past three years.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe information requested is not available.
§ Mr. O'HaraTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what statistics his Department compiles on the use of melatonin in the breeding of lambs.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe use of a medicinal product, once authorised, is a matter for the marketplace to determine and not for the licensing authority. My Department therefore compiles no statistics on the use of melatonin in the breeding of lambs.