Written question asked by Julian Smith (Conservative) on Friday, 4 October 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 October 2024. It was answered by Daniel Zeichner (Labour) on Thursday, 10 October 2024 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food: Lead

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the number of food samples tested for lead contamination per year by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

Answer: The levels of lead testing in the United Kingdom are determined in accordance with legislative requirements which provide food safety assurances to both domestic consumers as well as export markets. Sampling levels are reviewed by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) each year to ensure that they are proportionate to livestock production; of note, the VMD has effectively tripled annual lead testing for sheep and bovine animals from 2024 to provide further guarantees on safety of these foodstuffs. The results of said testing are published by VMD on a quarterly basis and can be found on the VMD’s GOV.UK webpage here.

Secondary information