§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to ban the sale of raw sheep and goat's milk. [25860]
§ Mr. RookerI have no such plans at present. However, the public health risks associated with drinking such milk are likely to be similar to those associated with drinking raw cows' milk. With this in mind, the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food has recommended that surveillance on the microbiological status of raw sheep and goats' drinking milk be undertaken, and this is currently being taken forward.
§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost to farmers of(a) a ban on the sale of raw cows' milk and (b) the cost of enforcement of a ban. [25838]
§ Mr. RookerI recognise the importance of assessing the likely costs and savings. If we do proceed to legislate in this area, assessments would accompany the consultation document on the proposals for draft Regulations, as part of the regulatory appraisal process.