Examination of Witnesses (Questions 260-265)
MR PETER
ALLENSON, MR
GEORDIE WILCOCK
AND MR
HEATH QUITTENTON
19 JUNE 2003
Q260 Diana Organ: It is one of these
things, is it not, of all of our foods where probably the consumer
feeling is that we have to be most concerned about how we cook
and prepare chicken?
Mr Quittenton: Yes.
Q261 Diana Organ: Are you saying
that we have not got the message over that actually British poultry
is probably the safest option to buy?
Mr Quittenton: Not at all. The
point is that you can see that by the sales figures, the fact
that more and more retailers are opting for imported chickens
than they are UK chickens.
Q262 Diana Organ: I wonder if you
could say a little bit about the concerns that you have got about
the UK border checks and food safety inspections for imported
chicken.
Mr Allenson: I do not think there
is too much we can say in detail other than to say that in the
short period that I have been responsible, certainly a number
of occasions have arisen where it seems that there are insufficient
resources to check frequently whether in fact the meat is safe,
whether it is meeting EU standards, et cetera. You asked earlier
about how often was chicken checked on the line in a UK factory.
Well, I think also we would certainly argue, again from perhaps
anecdotal evidence, but from evidence nevertheless, that there
are not many checks for checking imported chicken as it comes
into this country either, and that is an area which does need
to be looked at, improved and controlled better than it is at
the present time, but nothing more than that.
Q263 Chairman: Okay, is there anything
else that, on reflection, you want briefly to comment on in addition
to the things you have said? Mr Wilcock?
Mr Wilcock: I just want to repeat
what Peter said there about imported chicken. It worries me and
quite a lot of our members as well that most of these British
companies, the bigger companies, may I add, are actually starting
to buy factory outlets in Thailand, Hungary, Portugal and places
like that. As we say, long term are we basically going to become
a packing industry for foreign meat? I think that if nothing is
done, that is what will eventually become of the UK poultry industry,
that we will be packing plants. As Peter touched on, we do not
know what is in these things. We have read reports from Portugal
about these added chemicals and what-have-you. It is worrying.
Q264 Chairman: Mr Allenson?
Mr Allenson: Perhaps I could just
finish by saying that obviously there are some very important
World Trade Organisation talks due to take place in Cancun in
September and I read quite recently that the expansion of the
EU has led obviously to a number of additional countries coming
in, and some meat licences have been issued, and they will probably
be red meat in addition to poultry meat, but they have been issued
in a number of those countries which will enable them to import
into this country, although not meat to EU standards until some
considerable distance of time in the future, for example, in Poland
some 332 licences, but the deadline for meeting the EU regulations
in respect of all of the environmental, health and safety and
welfare standards, et cetera, is December 2007. There is a whole
list of those things. When we talk about creating a level playing
field, I have no problem with coinciding with the employers' arguments
because it is our members' jobs and livelihoods, and as difficult
and as low paid as they may be, nevertheless, in rural areas where
there are difficulties finding jobs anyway, it is important that
we maintain those jobs wherever we possibly can. I would just
really like to leave you with that thought about what we mean
by the level playing field.
Q265 Chairman: You have painted a
very vivid picture of a low-paid, highly stressed, long hours
industry and it sounds even worse than the conditions in the Organs'
back garden with that mix of smoke and swear words that she seemed
to be suggesting was typical of a Sunday afternoon in her part
of the world! However, thank you very much indeed. We are grateful
for your time and if there are further reflections you want to
let us have, do that very speedily and we will ensure that they
form part of the public record and part of our considerations,
but for the moment, thank you. If you wish to hear the evidence
now to be extracted from whichever Defra Minister we have, you
are most welcome to stay.
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