§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the risks to consumers of antibiotic residues in natural sausage casings imported into the United Kingdom from non-EU countries. [68495]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 9 July 2002]Natural sausage casings are not routinely included in the United Kingdom's surveillance programme for veterinary medicines, including antibiotics. Following recent reports that antibiotic residues have been found in natural sausage casings from China and hence might pose a risk to consumers, a European Commission Decision has been implemented whereby 20 per cent. of all consignments of casing from China are required to be sampled and tested for a range of chemical residues including antibiotics. No other countries have been implicated to date.