§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which is the competent authority to implement Articles 3 and 4 of Council Directive 64/433/EEC. [81720]
§ Mr. RookerIn Great Britain, Articles 3 and 4 of Directive 64/433/EEC (as amended) have been implemented by means of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (S.I.1995/539, as amended). At present, these Regulations are enforced in England by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and in Scotland and Wales by the appropriate Secretary of State. In practical terms, enforcement of the Regulations in GB is carried out by the Meat Hygiene Service (an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food).
§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on(a) the frequency of veterinary inspections and (b) the exemptions for abattoirs and cutting plants which apply under Article 4(e) of Directive 64/433/EEC with regard to Chapter VIII of Annexe 1; [81719]
(2) what derogations apply to the exemption of small abattoirs and cutting plants from the requirements of Chapter VIII of Annexe 1 of Directive 64/433/EEC; and if he will make a statement. [81721]
§ Mr. RookerDirective 64/433/EEC (as amended) requires all fresh meat intended for sale for human consumption to be produced in licensed premises under 47W the supervision of an Official Veterinary Surgeon. The level and frequency of veterinary supervision is set out in Article 9 of the Directive.
Article 4 of the Directive provides a derogation from certain provisions in the case of certain small (low throughput) abattoirs and cutting plants. However, my Department's lawyers have confirmed that this derogation is in respect only of the structural requirements of the premises concerned and does not extend to the conditions applying to the hygienic operation of the premises or to the level and frequency of veterinary supervision required. Nevertheless, following representations from the industry, we have now asked the European Commission to give a view on the applicability of the specific veterinary supervision requirements to low-throughout premises.
There are no derogations from the requirements of Chapter VIII of Annexe 1 of Directive 64/433/EEC (as amended) in the case of low-throughout abattoirs. The Directive requires all fresh meat intended for sale for human consumption to undergo post-mortem inspection in accordance with Annexe 1, Chapter VIII.
§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has implemented Annexe 4 Chapter I (paragraph 6c) of Directive 96/43. [81722]
§ Mr. RookerYes. This administrative provision, which provides for a composite invoice to be issued to an individual premises carrying out a number of functions (i.e. slaughtering, cutting or storing), is applied by the Meat Hygiene Service when invoicing plant operators for the costs of hygiene inspections.