§ Mr. SykesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider establishing a national body to check standards of milk testing for British farmers. [31670]
§ Mr. BaldryThe Intervention Board executive agency, which is responsible for administering milk quotas throughout the United Kingdom, has already commissioned the Central Science Laboratory to check standards at laboratories which are approved to carry out butterfat tests on milk.
§ Mr. SykesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider establishing national calibration standards in respect of testing for butter fat, protein and total bacteria content in milk. [31668]
§ Mr. BaldryThe suggestion that a simple source for calibration standards be specified, whilst acceptable in principle to the Intervention Board executive agency and to those laboratories participating in milk testing, may be difficult to prescribe. It would, effectively, prevent those organisations currently supplying such standards from continuing to do so. In the current climate of deregulation within the United Kingdom dairy industry such action would need to be considered carefully and justified in terms of a clearly identified need.