Specified Risk Material (Hansard, 24 April 2001)

§ Ms Stuart

[holding answer 27 March 2001]: Under European Union single market rules only meat which has been produced in accordance with relevant EU meat hygiene and BSE protection rules may be marketed for human consumption within the EU. These rules include European Commission Decision 2000/418/EC, which requires the removal of specified risk material (SRM) from cattle and sheep carcases at the slaughterhouse. Single market rules do not permit border controls at points of entry in respect of meat imported from other EU member states, although random checks at points of destination are permissible. The importation of fresh meat containing SRM into the United Kingdom from third countries is prohibited by virtue of the SRM Order 1997. Meat imported directly into the UK from a third country is subject to official checks at the border inspection post to ensure that it complies with all relevant EU and national public and animal health requirements.

In the UK such checks have shown that the vast majority of consignments of meat imported from other EU member states have complied with the relevant EU rules. A small number of consignments, however, have been found to contain carcases with small pieces of SRM still attached. The majority of these consignments (12 out of 14) were destroyed with the remaining two returned to the export approved plat in January 2001.

As a result of these findings, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has, in each case, taken up the matter vigorously with the national Government of the exporting country concerned and with the EC. The FSA has also put in place risk-based enhanced checks on meat imported from other EU member states. The Meat Hygiene Service, and its equivalent in Northern Ireland, has been instructed to check all consignments of imported carcase beef originating from those slaughterhouses which have previously exported carcases with SRM still attached. Since half of the findings of SRM have involved meat imported from Germany, the FSA has instructed that every consignment of carcase beef imported from 213W Germany arriving at a licensed meat plant in the UK must be checked by the relevant authority for the presence of SRM. Local authorities throughout the UK have been advised to make extra checks at meat plants under their supervision known to receive imports of carcase beef, and to check every consignment of carcase beef imported from Germany for the presence of SRM.

In addition, because of the disruption of British meat supplies arising from the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, enforcement authorities have been instructed by the FSA to step up levels of inspection of all types of imported meat, on a risk assessment basis, in order to ensure that all relevant public health requirements are met.

The enhanced checks on meat imported from other EU member states, and the enhanced level of inspection of all imported meat, will be maintained for as long as the FSA considers such measures to be justified. The FSA will continue to monitor the situation.