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Meat Hygiene Inspectors
Dr. Strang: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many meat hygiene inspectors were employed by his Department and by the Meat Hygiene Service at the most recent date available; and in each year since 1979. [18024]
Mr. Douglas Hogg:
No meat hygiene inspectors are, or have been, employed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
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The Meat Hygiene Service was established as an executive agency of MAFF on 1 April 1995 and took over responsibility from local authorities for meat hygiene and inspection in licensed fresh meat premises.
Staffing matters are the responsibility of the Meat Hygiene Service and I have asked the chief executive, Mr. Johnston McNeill, to reply to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from J. McNeill to Dr. Gavin Strang, dated 5 March 1997:
As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) your Parliamentary Questions to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Scotland concerning the number of Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHIs) employed by the Meat Hygiene Service at the most recent date available and in each year since 1979 has been passed to me for reply.(18024)
Mr. Hain:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement about the safety of vitamin B6 supplements; [18267]
Mrs. Browning:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 20 January 1997, Official Report, column 480. Since then, the secretariat of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment--COT--has received further data relating to the safety of vitamin B6. This will be
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considered by the COT at its next meeting. The Food Advisory Committee will consider what, if any, action needs to be taken to ensure that consumers are not put at risk in the light of any further advice from the COT.
Mr. Hain:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he requested the Food Advisory Committee to make an independent assessment of recommendations supplied to it by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment in regard to the safety of vitamin B6 supplements before issuing its press release on 19 December in relation to nerve damage from the consumption of vitamin B6 supplements. [18382]
Mrs. Browning:
The Food Advisory Committee relies upon the toxicological assessments made by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment and other relevant expert committees in reaching its own independent judgment of any action which may be necessary to ensure the chemical safety of food. In the case of vitamin B6, the FAC was not asked to carry out its own toxicological assessment as this does not form part of its terms of reference.
Mr. Hain:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reports of peripheral neuropathy in association with the consumption of vitamin B6 supplements at doses of up to 200mg per day were evaluated in the recently completed study carried out by the medical toxicology unit to monitor the safety of dietary supplements and natural remedies. [18385]
Mrs. Browning:
The medical toxicology unit study commissioned by this Department on toxicological problems resulting from exposure to traditional medicines and food supplements did not include any reported cases of peripheral neuropathy associated with the consumption of vitamin B6.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many food safety incidents his Department investigated in 1996. [18388]
Mrs. Browning:
The investigation of food safety incidents is generally the responsibility of local authorities. In exceptional cases where a potential public health risk has regional or national implications or where there is a major local incident, local authorities notify the Department of Health, which will take action as appropriate through the food hazard warning system. There were 144 food safety incidents reported to the Department of Health during 1996.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the
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validity of the level of pesticide and fertiliser use as an indicator of sustainability. [18451]
Mrs. Browning:
The level of pesticide use in terms of tonnage applied or number of spray applications is not a good indicator of sustainability. Several hundred different chemicals are approved as pesticides. Each has a different environmental impact and the relative impact of different chemicals may not be closely related to the amount used.
Similarly the amount of fertiliser used is not a good indicator of environmental impact. The timing and method of application also affect the efficiency with which nutrients are taken up and hence the amounts released into the environment.
Plans to develop and improve the indicators already published in "Indicators of Sustainable Development for the United Kingdom", which include indicators on nutrients and pesticides, were published in "Rural England 1966".
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the potential of economic instruments for achieving sustainability with regard to pesticide and fertiliser use. [18450]
Mrs. Browning:
The Government intend shortly to issue a discussion paper on the options for using economic instruments, including instruments for pesticides and fertilisers, to achieve water protection policy objectives.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much compensation has been paid to animals slaughtered to prevent the spread of animal diseases in 1996. [18389]
The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) was established as an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) on 1 April 1995. It took over from some 300 local authorities responsibility for enforcing meat hygiene, inspection and animal welfare at slaughter legislation in licensed fresh meat premises in England, Scotland and Wales. Consequently, I am unable to supply details of staffing numbers prior to the Agency vesting date of 1 April 1995.
On a full time equivalent basis, the MHS currently employs 761 MHIs in England and 158 MHIs in Scotland.
The MHS employed a total of 803 MHIs as at 1 April 1995 and 850 MHIs as at 1 April 1996. The MHS is unable to provide a territorial breakdown of these previous years figures.
(2) if he will ask the Food Advisory Committee to review the safety of vitamin B6 supplements. [18386]
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| BSE | 6,956 |
| Newcastle disease | 7 |
| Salmonella | 121 |
| Brucellosis | 13 |
| TB | 2,276 |
| Total | 9,373 |
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 24 February, Official Report, columns 77-78, on compensation for diseased animals, what infections the compensation was paid out for; and how much was paid for each infection in each year from 1985 to 1991.[18425]
Mrs. Browning: The information requested for the years 1985-86 to 1991-92 is as follows:
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Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount paid as compensation for (a) poultry, (b) cattle and (c) other animals as a result of the slaughter of diseased or suspected diseased animals in each year from 1985 to 1991; and if he will make a statement. [15713]
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Mrs. Browning
[pursuant to her answer, 24 February 1997, c. 77-78]: The information requested on slaughter compensation is as follows:
| a) Poultry | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 1,237 | 1,779 | 1,709 |
| b) Cattle | 1,819 | 682 | 372 | 1,463 | 4,797 | 11,549 | 20,637 |
| c) Others | -- | 458 | 277 | -- | 169 | 116 | 8 |
| Total | 1,819 | 1,140 | 649 | 1,467 | 6,203 | 13,444 | 22,354 |
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