§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have ever conducted tests to discover whether phenol residues are present in sheepmeat following dipping, and if so what were the results.
Lord LucasNo tests have been conducted by MAFF and its agencies to establish whether or not phenol residues are present in sheepmeat following dipping. Ingested phenols are rapidly metabolised by mammals and cannot be detected in mammalian cells. Small amounts arise naturally from normal cell metabolism. In addition, these substances are not used in any formulations of organophosphorus products currently authorised. For these reasons, phenols are not included within the surveillance programmes for veterinary medicines carried out by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to monitor whether veterinary residues are passing into meat in unacceptable concentrations. In the last six years over 900 samples have been taken from sheep, and tested for the190WA presence of organophosphorous compounds including propetamphos, diazinon, chlorpyriphos, bromophos, carbophenothion and mevinphos. All the samples were negative.