Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the meat processing industry is subject to permanent on‑site regulatory presence and inspection of every item; what the evidentiary basis is for this practice; and how this level of oversight compares with that applied to other industries.

The official controls legislation, Regulation (EU) 2017/625, sets clear requirements to undertake ante-mortem and post-mortem official inspections and the verification of compliance with food law, animal health, and welfare rules in slaughterhouses and game handling establishments. To perform these official controls, it is necessary to have official physical presence.

This level of regulatory presence is limited to those activities identified as presenting the highest risk to the food chain. Meat processing establishments are not generally subject to such supervision unless they are also engaged in those high-risk activities.

Conformance with these requirements is critical to protect public health, animal health and welfare, assure food safety and underpin international trade in products of animal origin.

The legislation provides for certain flexibilities in the way official controls are delivered.

The legislation is drafted to reflect scientific evidence, research and data with a strong focus on public health, animal health and welfare whilst minimising unnecessary burden for businesses.

Other industries are also subject to a regulatory framework for inspections and verification which is proportionate to the risks they present.