§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what safeguards exist to prevent the entry of identified TB infected cattle into the human food chain; and if he will make a statement. [52104]
§ Mr. RookerAll fresh meat produced in Great Britain which is intended to be sold for human consumption must be produced in licensed premises in accordance with the requirements of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995. The Regulations, which implement the EC Fresh Meat Directive (64/433/EEC), require, amongst other things, full ante-mortem and post-mortem veterinary checks and health marking of the resulting meat at all stages of production. In Great Britain, veterinary supervision and meat inspection in licensed meat plants is carried out by the Meat Hygiene Service.
Under the Regulations, no animal may be slaughtered for human consumption if, at the ante-mortem health inspection, it shows any clinical signs of any disease which can be transmitted through fresh meat to humans, including tuberculosis. In addition, where it is found at post-mortem inspection that an animal was suffering from generalised tuberculosis or tuberculosis with emaciation, the Regulations require that the whole carcase be rejected as unfit for human consumption. Where only localised lesions of tuberculosis are found, these parts of the carcase must be rejected as unfit for human consumption.
The risk of contracting bovine tuberculosis by eating improperly cooked contaminated meat is considered to be extremely small, and there have been no recorded instances of the transmission of the disease to humans by this route. I am satisfied that these procedures provide appropriate public health safeguards.