Meat: Imports

(asked on 12th February 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which EU regulations to prohibit the import of (a) chlorine-washed chicken, (b) hormone-treated beef, (c) ractopamine-fed pork have been replicated in UK law; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 26th February 2020

Current EU controls on surface decontamination of poultry (Regulation (EC) 853/2004) will be retained through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and have been made ready to be carried over into UK law after the Transition Period through ‘The Specific Food Hygiene (Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019’. This maintains the status quo, whereby any substances for surface contamination must be approved by the appropriate authority. No products, other than potable water, are currently approved in the EU to decontaminate poultry carcases and this remains the case in the UK.

Council Directive 96/22/EC (as amended) prohibits the use of certain substances having a hormonal or thyrostatic action, and beta agonists (including ractopamine) in livestock farming and imported products. The EU legislation was transposed into domestic legislation by the Animals and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits) (England and Scotland) Regulations 2015, with similar legislation enacted in Wales and Northern Ireland. This legislation remains in place.

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