§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which other EU countries are supportive of a meat inspection regime based upon risk analysis. [131100]
§ Ms StuartI am advised by the Food Standards Agency that at recent European Commission Working Group meetings on veterinary legislation, all European Union member states have expressed support for the Commission's initiative to fundamentally review ante- and post-mortem inspection procedures in slaughterhouses. All member states were of the view that the current meat inspection system should be re-assessed on the basis of risk. However, there were varying degrees of support for the extent to which it would be possible to move away from the present levels of official supervision and for plant operators to take responsibility for post-mortem inspection. Subsequent bilateral meetings between Food Standards Agency officials and representatives from the veterinary 621W authorities in France and the Netherlands have shown these countries to be very supportive of a risk-based approach to both official controls and meat inspection procedures.
§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the possibility of introducing the hazard analysis and critical control point system into the meat hygiene service. [131810]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 21 July 2000]: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a food safety management system which places responsibility for the production of safe food on food business operators. HACCP is widely regarded as the most effective approach to preventing food safety problems but is not currently a mandatory requirement in the meat slaughtering sector. The European Commission's proposals for new food safety hygiene rules, presented by Commissioner Byrne at the Agriculture Council on 17 July, would extend HACCP-based controls to all food production, including meat slaughtering. We welcome these proposals and the opportunity they give to modernise official controls and meat inspection procedures. The new legislation is expected to take at least two years to negotiate, with a further interim phase needed for full implementation. I am advised that the Food Standards Agency will be consulting widely on the Commission's proposals in developing the United Kingdom's negotiating position.
In the meantime, the meat industry is being encouraged to adopt HACCP on a voluntary basis. In a survey in 1999 about 54 per cent. of red meat (full throughput) slaughterhouses and 71 per cent. of white meat (full throughput) slaughterhouses in Great Britain claimed to have a full HACCP system in place.