To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many slaughterhouses and cutting plants were operating in the United Kingdom in the categories (a) full throughput red slaughterhouses, (b) low throughput red slaughterhouses, (c) full throughput white slaughterhouses, (d) low throughput white slaughterhouses, (e) full throughput cutting plants and (f) low throughput cutting plants in (i) December 1995, (ii) December 1996, (iii) December 1997 and (iv) December 1998; and what was the average throughput for each category in each year. [79081]

The tables give the figures of licensed EC approved and low throughput slaughterhouses and cutting premises (red meat and poultry meat) operating in the United Kingdom as at 31 December 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. Details of licensed UK meat premises are published in the Meat Hygiene Enforcement Report, which is placed in the Library of the House each month. We are seeking to provide average throughput figures for each category and I hope to place them in the Library of the House immediately after Easter.