Meat Hygiene Service: Inspections

Mr. Roger Williams
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average cost to the Meat Hygiene Service of a (a) bovine, (b) ovine, (c) porcine and (d) avian carcass inspection was in each of the last three years;

(2) how many (a) bovine, (b) ovine, (c) porcine and (d) avian carcass inspections were carried out by the Meat Hygiene Service in each of the last three years; and how much was received from the meat processing industry in fees for such inspections in each such year.

Dawn Primarolo
The number of inspections carried out by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) by species in each of the last three financial years was:

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|Category|2006-07    |2005-06    |2004-05    |
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|Bovine  |1,844,268  |2,012,225  |1,942,047  |
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|Ovine   |14,987,090 |15,804,883 |15,154,958 |
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|Porcine |7,950,660  |7,800,208  |7,927,815  |
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|Avian   |777,809,102|788,806,931|786,583,105|
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Analysis of the average cost of carcass inspection by species is not possible as the time spent by MHS staff on inspection work is not recorded against species.

The Meat Hygiene Service calculates the cost of the delivery of official controls, which includes all inspection and audit activities undertaken by MHS personnel during pre-slaughter, slaughter, post-slaughter and animal by-products control, on an hourly basis.

The total cost of the delivery of official controls by the Meat Hygiene Service to the meat industry in each of the last three financial years was:

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|       |£ million|
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|2006-07|56.7     |
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|2005-06|55.1     |
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|2004-05|54.0     |
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Total income received from the meat industry for the same period was:

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|       |£ million|
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|2006-07|23.4     |
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|2005-06|23.5     |
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|2004-05|23.5     |
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The difference between the cost and income results from the current charging system under which a Food Business Operator pays the lesser of hourly charges or a fee calculated on the throughput charge per animal or per tonne of meat that is processed. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) funds the difference between cost and income, which is in effect a subsidy to the meat industry.

In addition to the delivery of official controls, the MHS undertakes work on behalf of government customers, principally FSA and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a full cost recovery basis. This work includes the supervision of brain stem removal for bovine spongiform encephalopathy testing, monitoring and reporting on animal welfare and the supervision of licensed abattoirs participating in the older cattle disposal scheme. The cost of the work in the last three years was:

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|       |£ million|
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|2006-07|34.6     |
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|2005-06|33.1     |
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|2004-05|29.7     |
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