§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessments he has made of the consequences for the United Kingdom tanning industry of(a) the current level of activity in abattoirs and (b) the culling of older dairy cattle; and if he will make a statement. [24619]
§ Mrs. BrowningI have received a representation from the United Kingdom Industry about the financial impact of the loss of hides from the culling of older cattle and understand that the UK tanning industry is currently experiencing difficulty in sourcing hides due to the slow-down in beef production.
The Council of Agriculture Ministers on 1 and 2 April concluded that bovine animals over the age of 30 months should not enter the human food or animal feed chains or be used for cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. There was no reference to the destruction of hides from cull cattle; therefore, these hides could be recovered and be available to the United Kingdom tanning industry.