§ 21. Mr. PikeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department has taken to persuade local authorities in England not to place an arbitrary restriction on the purchase of British beef and beef products. [67816]
§ Mr. RookerThe Ministry is not well placed nor resourced to lobby local authorities, which are obliged to look for best value for money in their procurement decisions. However, we continue to support the work of the Meat and Livestock Commission in its efforts to re-instate beef on school menus.