§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of poultry was slaughtered in the United Kingdom before the withdrawal period for finisher feed was completed in November and December of(a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000; [17103]
(2) what proportion of poultry was slaughtered in the United Kingdom before the withdrawal period for finisher feed was completed in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001. [17102]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 23 November 2001]DEFRA do not collect these statistics. It is the responsibility of producers of livestock destined for the food chain to ensure that the appropriate withdrawal period for a veterinary medicine or feed additive has been observed before slaughter.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) carries out a large-scale annual residues surveillance programme which fulfils our obligations under EC Directive 96/23.
The results of the programmes for 1998, 1999 and 2000 are fully reported in the VMD's Annual Reports on Surveillance for Veterinary Residues for those years, which are available free of charge from the VMD and are accessible on the VMD's website. The results of the 2001 surveillance programme to date are published in the VMD's quarterly newsletter Medicines Act Veterinary Information Service (MAVIS) and are also regularly updated on the VMD's website in the interests of openness.