§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which antibiotics are permitted for use in farming as growth promoters in(a) Thailand and (b) Brazil in products that may be imported into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.[100402]
§ Ms QuinThe details as to which antibiotic growth promoters are used in Thailand and Brazil in the farming of food animals that are likely to be imported into the UK are not currently available. However, it is possible that some antibiotic growth promoters are used in the rearing of food-producing animals that are not permitted for such use in the EU. In adopting a temporary ban on four antibiotic growth promoters in December 1998, the Council of Agriculture Ministers asked the Commission to produce a report on the external dimension of the measure. In particular, the Council asked the Commission to consider how the EU' s trading partners might be encouraged to adopt equivalent measures. This report is expected by the end of this year.