§ Mr. GillTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the organisations which he has met to discuss meat inspection charges. [R] [90386]
§ Mr. RookerSince the beginning of this year, my right hon. Friend the Minister and I have separately met representatives of the Federation of Fresh Meat Wholesalers (now the British Meat Federation) and jointly met a delegation of small plant operators led by an all-party group of hon. Members. I have also had meetings with a representative of turkey producers, the National Farmers Union, Dr. Richard North, and a further meeting with representatives of the all-party parliamentary group. With the Parliamentary Secretary, I have recently met with representatives of the Small Abattoir Federation (SAFe) and the Country Landowners Association (CLA), and with my right hon. Friend the Minister I have met with the Meat and Livestock Commission. These meetings included discussions on charging, but, with the exception of that with SAFe, they were not set up specifically for that purpose.
In addition, all Ministers in the Department have had issues of charging raised with them when attending functions around the country.