§ Lord Rowallanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What hygiene benefits accrue, in the continued absence of any evidence of pest infestation in a slaughterhouse, from requiring owners and operators to provide numbered bait points and a plan showing the location of those bait points. [HL3108]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue)All licensed slaughterhouses are required by law to have "adequate protection against the entry of insects, vermin 67WA and birds". The use by slaughterhouse operators and occupiers of a documented, verifiable system for the identification and elimination of insects and pests, which includes, among other things, the use of numbered bait points and bait plans, is considered best practice and is not in itself a statutory requirement. The use of such systems identifies emerging pest problems thereby keeping any risk to the hygienic operation of the premises to the minimum.