Hunt Kennels (Hansard, 16 July 1998)

Mr. Michael J. Foster
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 15 June 1998,Official Report, columns 20–26, if he will list the reasons for the unsatisfactory audit finding for each hunt kennel listed. [46571]

§ Mr. Rooker
It is not possible to list the individual failures found during State Veterinary Service specified risk material (SRM) audit visits during 1998 to the hunt kennels listed in my reply of 15 June as this could prejudice any legal action being considered by the local authority concerned. It is the local authority, rather than Government Departments, which has enforcement responsibility under the relevant legislation.
For those visits carried out during 1997, release of the information requested has raised a number of legal issues which are being urgently considered. Once this has been completed, I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Mr. Michael J. Foster
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 15 June 1998,Official Report, columns 20–26, if he will list the potential (a) animal and (b) human health risks in circumstances where hunt kennels fail to achieve a satisfactory SRM audit. [46573]

§ Mr. Rooker
Government measures to combat BSE have greatly reduced the number of cases of preclinical BSE in bovines, and there are relatively few now found in the field. Any animals suspected of suffering from BSE are destroyed in designated incinerators and not taken to hunt kennels. The main throughput of hunt kennels is therefore casualty animals and dead stock from which specified risk material has to be removed and disposed of in accordance with the Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997. Meat from such carcases is not eligible for the human food chain.
The potential human health risks arise from the possible illegal diversion of material into the human food chain. For animal health, the potential risks arise from the possible diversion of SRM into animal by products, and the direct feeding of SRM to hounds, even though no case of a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) developing in dogs has ever been recorded. In all cases, the controls applied on the handling and disposal of SRM in hunt kennels are intended to prevent such risks arising, reinforced by the compliance audit carried out by the State Veterinary Service, the results of which are reported monthly in the BSE Enforcement Bulletin.
304W
In all cases where unsatisfactory audit visits have been reported and investigated, unannounced follow up visits have also been carried out to ensure that any necessary remedial action has been taken.

§ Mr. Flynn
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the failures that were discovered in the surveillance visits in 1997 and 1998 to the(a) Llangibby Foxhounds, (b) Pentyrow Hunt Kennels, (c) Tegryn Farmers Hunt, (d) Carmarthen Hunt, (e) Llandeilo Hunt, (f) Game Foxhounds Hunt Kennels, (g) Amman Valley Hunt and (h) Carmarthenshire Hunt Kennels. [46586]

§ Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 22 June 1998]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to our hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Foster) today 16 July 1998, Official Report, column 303.