§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
What criteria are used by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in the event of a report by one or more of his officers of alleged contraventions by meat plant operators of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations, to determine whether alleged offenders should be prosecuted; and [HL2803]
Whether, in making a decision whether to prosecute a meat plant operator for alleged breaches of Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food takes account of the adequacy and fairness of previous enforcement action. [HL2804]
§ Lord DonoughueIn considering whether alleged offenders should be prosecuted, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food follows the code for Crown prosecutors in the same way that the Crown Prosecutions Service does and considers available evidence and whether it is in the "public interest" for a prosecution to proceed. Regard is paid to previous enforcement action as part of that consideration.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many times since the commencement of duties of the Meat Hygiene Service on 1 April 1995 the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have undertaken prosecutions against operators slaughtering animals in unlicensed slaughterhouses; and how many of these prosecutions have been successful. [HL2827]
§ Lord DonoughueThe Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has undertaken seven prosecutions against operators slaughtering animals in unlicensed slaughterhouses since 1 April 1995. All have been successful.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
What evidence they have to demonstrate that the Hygiene Assessment Scheme measures the hygiene of carcases produced in United Kingdom slaughterhouses, in terms of microbiological standards and the keeping qualities of fresh meat; and whether the scores produced in respect of specific slaughterhouses give any indication of the microbiological standards achieved by them. [HL2829]
§ Lord DonoughueThe results of a survey carried out by Hudsonet al published in the Veterinary Record 139 (14 December 1996) showed a significant negative 28WA correlation between HAS scores and the total viable bacterial counts of beef carcases.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many hours are dedicated to training veterinary surgeons on the implication of the Hygiene Assessment Scheme. [HL2830]
§ Lord DonoughueHygiene Assessment System training for veterinary surgeons is an integral part of the conversion training and no separate estimate of hours is available.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in providing details of Hygiene Assessment Scores to meat plant owners and operators, a distinction is made between those aspects which are marked down because of failure to comply with statutory requirements and those which are marked down as a result of failure to conform with non-statutory requirements; and [HL2867]
Whether they will distinguish, in their publication of monthly Hygiene Assessment Scores relating to specific meat or cutting plants, how many points have been lost by each plant as a result of failure to conform with non-statutory requirements; and [HL2869]
What provisions are made for meat or cutting plant operators to appeal against Hygiene Assessment Scores calculated for their plants; to whom the appeals are made; and what criteria are used in determining those appeals; and [HL2870]
How many of the criteria used for assessing meat plant Hygiene Assessment Scores reflect, or can reflect, non-statutory requirements. [HL2932]
§ Lord DonoughueThe Hygiene Assessment System monitors the hygiene of licensed slaughterhouse and cutting plant operations, it does not assess their compliance with statutory or non-statutory requirements.
Slaughterhouse and cutting plant operators may appeal against the HAS scores calculated for their plants according to the procedures set out in the Meat Hygiene Service operations manual.