§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make abattoirs responsible for meat inspection; and if he will make a statement. [155633]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 27 March 2001]: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the rules on meat inspection are prescribed by European Union legislation and any proposals to change those rules would need to be made by the European Commission (EC).
No such proposal has yet been made by the EC, although an EC working document, made available by the FSA to interested organisations earlier this year, sets out some initial ideas on what might form the main elements of a future risk-based meat inspection system. Any legislative proposals that flow from this working document would be subject to formal public consultation in the United Kingdom, negotiations with and agreement by the member states, and both EU and UK Parliamentary scrutiny, before any changes could come into force.