To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to reports of pork DNA in the food supply chain, what assessment his Department has made of the halal meat served in schools.

[151500]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to reports of pork DNA in the food supply chain, what assessment his Department has made of the halal meat served in schools.

[151500]

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food (David Heath) has today made the following Statement.

I would like to update the House on developments since the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement on 26 March 2013 (Official Report, col. 90WS) on the latest results from the testing...

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food (David Heath) has today made the following Statement.

I would like to update the House on developments since the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement on 26 March 2013 (Official Report, col. 90WS) on the latest results from the testing...

I would like to update the House on developments since the Secretary of State’s written ministerial statement on 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 90WS, on the latest results from the testing of beef products for the presence of horsemeat and on plans for reviewing lessons learned.

On 9 April, the...

I would like to update the House on developments since the Secretary of State’s written ministerial statement on 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 90WS, on the latest results from the testing of beef products for the presence of horsemeat and on plans for reviewing lessons learned.

On 9 April, the...

I would like to update the House on developments since my written ministerial statement on 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 54WS, on the latest results from the testing of beef products for the presence of horsemeat.

In addition to the results of 5,430 industry tests reported to the House on...

I would like to update the House on developments since my written ministerial statement on 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 54WS, on the latest results from the testing of beef products for the presence of horsemeat.

In addition to the results of 5,430 industry tests reported to the House on...

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Owen Paterson) has today made the following Statement.

I would like to update the House on developments since my Written Ministerial Statement on 4 March 2013 (Official Report, col. 54WS) on the latest results from the testing...

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Owen Paterson) has today made the following Statement.

I would like to update the House on developments since my Written Ministerial Statement on 4 March 2013 (Official Report, col. 54WS) on the latest results from the testing...

I would like to update the House on developments since my written ministerial statement on 25 February, 2013, Official Report, column 5WS, on the latest results from the food industry programme of tests of beef products for the presence of horsemeat.

The vast majority of results from food retailers, wholesalers, and...

I would like to update the House on developments since my written ministerial statement on 25 February, 2013, Official Report, column 5WS, on the latest results from the food industry programme of tests of beef products for the presence of horsemeat.

The vast majority of results from food retailers, wholesalers, and...

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Owen Paterson) has today made the following Statement.

I would like to update the House on developments since my Written Ministerial Statement on 25 February 2013

(Official Report, col. 5WS), on the latest results from the food...

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Owen Paterson) has today made the following Statement.

I would like to update the House on developments since my Written Ministerial Statement on 25 February 2013

(Official Report, col. 5WS), on the latest results from the food...

I shall try to bear your comments in mind, Mr Speaker.

I beg to move,

That this House notes that up to 100 per cent horsemeat has been found in supermarket and branded processed meat products and that horsemeat has been found at the premises of a UK meat processing plant; notes...

I shall try to bear your comments in mind, Mr Speaker.

I beg to move,

That this House notes that up to 100 per cent horsemeat has been found in supermarket and branded processed meat products and that horsemeat has been found at the premises of a UK meat processing plant; notes...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what samples from (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) prisons will be taken by the Food Standards Agency during its inquiry into undeclared equine and porcine DNA in meat products.

[142895]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what samples from (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) prisons will be taken by the Food Standards Agency during its inquiry into undeclared equine and porcine DNA in meat products.

[142895]

My Lords, I return to the question of the contamination of halal meat, which got a brief reference in the Statement and has real implications for faith communities and faith relationships. This may not have been a matter of deliberate fraud but it must have been dangerously careless. Can the...

My Lords, I return to the question of the contamination of halal meat, which got a brief reference in the Statement and has real implications for faith communities and faith relationships. This may not have been a matter of deliberate fraud but it must have been dangerously careless. Can the...

My Lords, with your Lordships’ permission, I will repeat a Statement made today by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in another place. The Statement is as follows:

“Mr Speaker, I would like to update the House on recent developments on horsemeat and...

My Lords, with your Lordships’ permission, I will repeat a Statement made today by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in another place. The Statement is as follows:

“Mr Speaker, I would like to update the House on recent developments on horsemeat and...

My Lords, the Secretary of State held an urgent meeting with food businesses on Saturday to get to the bottom of this unacceptable situation. The Government and the FSA insisted that more and tougher testing will take place. The food industry has accepted this, and we expect to see initial...

My Lords, the Secretary of State held an urgent meeting with food businesses on Saturday to get to the bottom of this unacceptable situation. The Government and the FSA insisted that more and tougher testing will take place. The food industry has accepted this, and we expect to see initial...

My Lords, there are clearly various aspects to this problem—the criminality, misleading of the general public and the issue of food safety. The Minister has given us an assurance today that there is no risk to food safety. May I press him on this issue and ask him a question?...

My Lords, there are clearly various aspects to this problem—the criminality, misleading of the general public and the issue of food safety. The Minister has given us an assurance today that there is no risk to food safety. May I press him on this issue and ask him a question?...

My Lords, I am confident that they do.

My Lords, I am confident that they do.

My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether he remembers or is aware of a debate on 1 May 1991? It concerned a Question from Lord Campbell of Croy, and I as the relevant Minister replied, using a few words written by the then Member for Penrith and The Border....

My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether he remembers or is aware of a debate on 1 May 1991? It concerned a Question from Lord Campbell of Croy, and I as the relevant Minister replied, using a few words written by the then Member for Penrith and The Border....

It was David Maclean.

It was David Maclean.

Absolutely. He said:

“A Scotsman’s belief

Is that mince must be beef.

Imitations bring instant dismissal.

But some people abroad

Will contentedly plod

Through a plate full of horsemeat and gristle”.

Absolutely. He said:

“A Scotsman’s belief

Is that mince must be beef.

Imitations bring instant dismissal.

But some people abroad

Will contentedly plod

Through a plate full of horsemeat and gristle”.

I thank my noble friend and point out to her that the occasion of which she speaks occurred no less than 14 years before I arrived in your Lordships’ House.

I thank my noble friend and point out to her that the occasion of which she speaks occurred no less than 14 years before I arrived in your Lordships’ House.

My Lords, following the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Clark, does the Minister agree that phenylbutazone is an active carcinogenic agent? If within the next two weeks the FSA is satisfied that there is evidence of such contaminated horsemeat having come into the United Kingdom or, indeed, any...

My Lords, following the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Clark, does the Minister agree that phenylbutazone is an active carcinogenic agent? If within the next two weeks the FSA is satisfied that there is evidence of such contaminated horsemeat having come into the United Kingdom or, indeed, any...

My Lords, I share the seriousness with which the noble Lord takes the issue of bute. I have spoken about it at some length. He will know that imposing a ban is no small matter. Indeed, the onus is on the exporting member state to ensure that meat produced on...

My Lords, I share the seriousness with which the noble Lord takes the issue of bute. I have spoken about it at some length. He will know that imposing a ban is no small matter. Indeed, the onus is on the exporting member state to ensure that meat produced on...