To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discretion he enjoys in determining the number of livestock to be processed in low-throughput slaughterhouses.

The EC fresh meat directive contains arrangements for small slaughterhouses, which can benefit from a special list of structural requirements. Following discussions during December's Council of Agriculture Ministers, the Council agreed to increase the throughput limit for small slaughterhouses from 12 to 20 units per week until 31 December 1994. During this period, the Commission will review the implications of the meat hygiene directives for traditional small businesses. The Government will work closely with the Commission as it carries out this review.