Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Monday, 9 July 2007.

Agriculture: Pigs and Poultry

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will test imported live farm animals together with meat, in particular pig and poultry meat, for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, in the light of the prevalence of this infection in animals and meat in the Netherlands and other European Union countries.

Answer: The European Food Safety Authority is currently looking at the issue of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in food-producing animals and is considering what surveillance and other actions would be most appropriate for EU member states to undertake to address the issue. The UK is actively participating in the development of these proposals. The issue of MRSA in livestock is also kept under review by the Defra antimicrobial-resistance co-ordination (DARC) MRSA subgroup. The subgroup was set up to advise on how best the department can contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the role of MRSA in animals. The DARC assesses priorities for research and surveillance in MRSA, and includes cross-government representation.

Secondary information