§ Lord Cocks of Hartcliffeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are satisfied that imported French wines which have been prepared with dried bulls' blood present no health hazard to British consumers; and [HL3577]
What steps are taken to ensure that imported French wines do not contain impurities; and [HL3578]
Whether they are satisfied that the French methods of checking their wine production for impurities are as good as those use in the United Kingdom. [HL3579]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue)The use of blood albumin as a fining agent to clarify wine is a traditional oenological practice. There is no evidence that its use as a fining agent poses a hazard to consumers' health, especially since it is filtered out before bottling. However, its use has not been permitted in the Community since October 1997.
Under EC legislation all wine producing countries must routinely survey production and trade through inspection and analysis; this includes France. In practice, the French control monitoring procedures complement those of major importing countries such as the UK, which has a programme whose purpose is to detect impurities and contaminants in food and drink, including imported wine.