To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the health hazards posed by the sale of New York Dressed poultry, and the evidence on which his list is based. [5313]

The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food considered the risks posed by New York Dressed (NYD) poultry in its "Report on Poultry Meat" published in 1996. NYD birds are sold uneviscerated and with the head and feet attached. These birds present a particular hazard due to the risk of leakage of faeces and resulting contamination of the surface of the birds. If evisceration is carried out in the kitchen, there is also the risk of faeces or intestinal contents from ruptured intestines cross-contaminating other foods.