§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the costs of enforcing specified risk material controls in licensed slaughterhouses and cutting plants. [66118]
§ Mr. Nick BrownMy colleagues and I have carefully considered the cost of enforcement of these controls. We have reluctantly concluded that we can no longer defer the introduction of charges to the industry to cover these costs and that they must be transferred from taxpayers to the industry from 29 March 1999.
SRM controls are in the fundamental interest of the industry since, by protecting animal and public health from the risk of BSE and related diseases, they enhance consumer confidence and so bolster demand for meat and meat products.
Interested parties are being consulted on the details of the necessary legislation and a copy of the consultation package has been placed in the Library of the House. Comments are required by 12 February 1999.