HC Deb 19 October 1998 vol 317 cc1055-6W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of carcases in abattoirs are checked to ensure that antibiotics, coccidiostats, medical substances and growth promoters are not present in quantities above the maximum permitted levels. [54664]

Mr. Rooker

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is responsible for the surveillance of veterinary residues under Council Directive 96/23/EC. This requires Member States to carry out large scale sampling, on-farm and at slaughterhouses, to look for a wide range of veterinary medicinal products including antibiotics, coccidiostats, medicinal substances and growth promoters. Member states are required to take samples amounting to fixed percentages of animals (0.275% of cattle, 0.05% of pigs, 0.05% sheep, and for poultry 1 sample per 200 tonnes of dead-weight production, of which 90% are taken from abattoirs). The actual number of samples to be taken in a given year is determined by the number of animals slaughtered in the previous year, or which the Competent Authority forecasts will be slaughtered during the year, so that, within prescribed confidence limits, Member States can be satisfied that the results obtained are representative of what is happening nationally.

Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ensure that meat from animals reared on growth promoters is labelled as such. [54666]

Mr. Rooker

The use of hormone growth promoters in food producing animals has been banned in the European Community since 1988. Any third country which permits the use of growth promoting hormones is required to guarantee that no animals to which they have been administered and no meat from such animals will be exported to the Community. Imports must be certified accordingly and Commission inspectors verify compliance with all the requirements.

Antibiotic growth promoters used in animal feed act in the gut of animals and are not absorbed. Residues would not therefore be expected in meat. Antibiotics used in veterinary medicine are all subject to a period of withdrawal before treated animals may be slaughtered for human consumption, or their products are marketed, to ensure no residues are present.

Given the above information, I do not believe it necessary to consider labelling.