§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set a date for the lifting of the ban on over-thirty-month cattle entering the food chain where they are subject to full traceability. [118667]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 11 April 2000]: I have been asked to reply.
The ban on over-thirty-month cattle entering the food chain is one of a number of BSE controls to be reviewed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). This was announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister at the agriculture summit on 30 March. The FSA has been asked to consider the controls to ensure that they adequately protect the consumer, and their proportionality to the assessed risk. The FSA will submit a published report to UK Health and Agriculture Ministers by the end of October or as soon as possible afterwards taking account of the report of the BSE Inquiry. Ministers will then consider whether there should be any change in the ban on over-thirty-month cattle entering the food chain in the light of the FSA's report.