§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers he has to regulate the imports of beef into the United Kingdom from France on safety grounds. [143179]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 18 December 2000]: The Government are advised on matters of food safety by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Beef from France may be imported into the United Kingdom under the rules of the single European market. It must have been produced in accordance with the requirements of the Fresh Meat Directive (Directive 64/433/EEC), and those of Commission Decision 2000/418/EC on specified risk material controls which came into effect on 1 October 2000. The European Commission is currently carrying out inspection missions to all member states to ensure that the European Union specified risk material controls have been fully implemented. In addition, under British law, the Fresh Meat (Beef Controls) (No 2) Regulations 1996, as amended, prohibit the sale for human consumption of beef from any animal aged over 30 months at time of slaughter. These regulations apply to imported as well as to home produced beef, with certain limited exceptions.
436WArticle 30 of the Treaty of Rome allows member states to impose restrictions on imports on grounds of public health. Where however, the EU has legislated to govern trade in a particular product, as it has done with meat, case law indicates that member states no longer have the power to act unilaterally under Article 30.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what powers the Government have to ban the import of meat on the grounds of risk to human health; [144309]
(2) what powers the Food Standards Agency has to ban the import of meat on the grounds of risk to human health; and what recent changes there have been to these powers. [144373]
§ Ms StuartArticle 30 of the Treaty of Rome allows member states to impose restrictions on imports on grounds of public health. Where however, the European Union has legislated to govern trade in a particular product, as it has done with meat, case law indicates that member states no longer have the power to act unilaterally under Article 30. There have been no recent changes to these powers.