§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks are in place to establish that meat containing pre-slaughter tranquillisers is not being imported into Britain. [57298]
§ Mr. RookerMember States are required to test meat for a wide range of veterinary medicines, including tranquillisers, and are responsible for implementing and policing the relevant Directives in respect of their own national production.
Any third country wishing to export fresh meat to the European Union must submit residue testing plans to the Commission that provide guarantees which are at least equivalent to the requirements of the Community on EC producers.
Port Health Authorities in the UK (or local authorities in their absence) are responsible under Directive 90/675/EEC for checking 1% of all imported meat and meat products for residues of veterinary medicines.