§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he plans to lay the statutory instruments to give powers to exclude European beef from sale in this country, if it has not been processed with specified bovine material removed. [11322]
§ Mr. RookerAt the July Agriculture Council, a simple majority of member states supported Commission proposals for EU-wide controls on specified materials from cattle, sheep and goats. As a result, the way is now clear for the Commission, acting on its own competence, to adopt the measure which will come into force on 1 January. It is therefore no longer necessary for the UK to introduce any unilateral measures in this area as all European beef will be subject to rigorous controls similar to those that we already have in the UK.