§ Sir Jim SpicerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the state veterinary service's surveillance of the handling of specified bovine offals in November and December 1995; and if he will make a statement. [10858]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe state veterinary service, SVS, continued to make unannounced visits to slaughterhouses, hunt kennels and knackeries in November and December 1995 to monitor their handling of specified bovine offals, SBOs. The results of these visits were:
The results of similar surveillance visits to rendering and incineration plants handling SBOs will be announced shortly.
I welcome these significant improvements in the handling of SBOs by slaughterhouses, hunt kennels and knackeries. I expect those that have attained a satisfactory level of performance to maintain the standards they are now achieving, and would expect that those plants which have failed to do so will work harder to ensure they do fully comply with the controls. The SVS will continue its unannounced surveillance visits to plants handling SBOs.