§ Baroness Byfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they will take following another discovery of meat containing spinal cord being imported into England, this time from Spain. [HL3761]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)The Government are advised on matters of food safety by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA has alerted the Spanish veterinary authorities to the discovery of spinal cord in meat which originated in Spain and has asked those authorities to investigate the incident and to notify the FSA of the action being taken to prevent a recurrence. The FSA has also notified the European Commission, which is responsible for ensuring that member states fulfil their obligations under European Union rules.
On instructions from the FSA, the Meat Hygiene Service is continuing to check every consignment of imported carcass beef arriving at licensed meat plants in Great Britian for the presence of specified risk material. Similar instructions have been issued to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland in respect of imported consignments arriving at licensed meat plants there.