HL Deb 23 June 1999 vol 602 c95WA
Baroness Wharton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether it is reasonable to prosecute a slaughterhouse owner or operator for presenting, or causing to be presented, a carcass for inspection to a meat hygiene inspector to which specified risk material (SRM) is attached when charges are levied for that inspector to detect and ensure the removal of that SRM. [HL2875]

Lord Donoughue

The occupier of a slaughterhouse is responsible for ensuring that all SRM is removed from a carcass before it is presented for inspection. Failure to do so is an offence under the Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997, for which it is the Government's policy to bring a prosecution in any case in which the evidence is considered sufficient and it is in the public interest so to do. This policy would not be affected by the introduction of charges for the SRM controls, which for this financial year continue to be government-funded.