Select committee inquiry
Desinewed Meat
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“On 4 April the Food Standards Agency announced that the European Commission had requested that the UK impose a moratorium on the production of desinewed meat (DSM) from cows and sheep from the end of April. In addition, DSM produced from pigs and poultry must be reclassified as mechanically separated meat (MSM) from 26 May. The Committee undertook a short inquiry and published its findings on 24 July 2012. European Commission moratorium on desinewed meat was "heavy-handed and disproportionate", say MPs Report: Desinewed meat (PDF 624 KB) Government Response - Desinewed Meat (PDF 195 KB)”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What the government said
The government responded on 12 July 2013.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response.
The Government agrees that the Commission's decision has had serious consequences for UK industry, but considers that it handled the matter appropriately because there was "no alternative course of action available" that would have removed the prospect of safeguard measures.
- On the moratorium, the Government says it was the UK's way of meeting the Commission's request, used to signal that the UK disagreed with the Commission's interpretation and regards its position as "temporary and subject to further policy discussion".
- On recurrence, it says it cannot offer "an absolute guarantee" that such an incident will not happen again, but accepts that horizon scanning must be robust. The FSA has introduced new procedures to assess the risks of unfavourable FVO audit reports.
- On imports, it says it cannot routinely detain goods in "free circulation" within the single market. The FSA is passing industry information on potentially mislabelled material to the Commission, which has been investigating.
- On legal action against the Commission, the Government will "reflect on legal advice" and "consider the outcome of ongoing litigation". It says it will press the Commission to re-open discussions on the definition of MSM once the EFSA opinion is published, now expected by the end of March 2013.
Read the government's response ↗ Read the report ↗ Report an error
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 30 April 2012 to its close on 16 March 2016.
- Report 24 Jul 2012
- Government response 12 Jul 2013
What it recommended 7 recommendations · 5 conclusions
1The European Commission’s decision to request a moratorium at extremely short notice has had devastating...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The European Commission’s decision to request a moratorium at extremely short notice has had devastating consequences for British producers. It is extremely disappointing that the Commission was unable, or unwilling, to provide oral evidence to this Committee. The Commission’s failure to justify its actions and fulfil its duty to provide oral evidence to the National Parliament of a Member State demonstrates a worrying disregard for democratic accountability.
2The Commission’s decision to request a moratorium in the absence of any scientific evidence that...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Commission’s decision to request a moratorium in the absence of any scientific evidence that desinewed meat represents a food safety risk was totally disproportionate and unacceptable. We are clear that the Food Standards Agency’s assessment that desinewed meat presents no risk to public health is correct, and we have no doubt that they were right to take a science and evidence based approach to assessing risk with regard to food safety. However, we believe that their failure to anticipate that the Commission might not take the same approach is demonstrative of a lack of political awareness on the part of the FSA which must be addressed.
3The failure to anticipate the Commission’s actions meant that the Government had very little time...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The failure to anticipate the Commission’s actions meant that the Government had very little time to decide how to proceed and limited the other options (such as seeking support from like-minded Member States to challenge the Commission’s interpretation) that might have been available to it.
4The Government must now seek to gain support from those Member States using similar meat...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government must now seek to gain support from those Member States using similar meat production processes so that maximum pressure is applied to the Commission to lift the moratorium at the earliest possible opportunity.
5Lessons must be learnt from this experience and we are deeply concerned that neither the...
Recommended (the committee's words)
Lessons must be learnt from this experience and we are deeply concerned that neither the FSA nor the Minister for Public Health were able to offer any reassurance that such an incident would not happen again. We recommend that the FSA set out how it will improve its ‘horizon-scanning’ capabilities and what other steps it will take to ensure that there is no repeat of this unacceptable series of events.
6The Commission’s demand for a moratorium in the absence of any evidence that desinewed meat...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Commission’s demand for a moratorium in the absence of any evidence that desinewed meat presents a risk to health will lead to the unnecessary waste of thousands of tonnes of meat. The ensuing rise in price of some meat products is likely to have a particular impact on lower-income households. The Commission’s actions in this regard are to be deprecated.
7We find it impossible to reconcile the pace and severity of the Commission’s disproportionate action...
Recommended (the committee's words)
We find it impossible to reconcile the pace and severity of the Commission’s disproportionate action towards the UK with its seemingly relaxed approach to Desinewed Meat 15 inspection and enforcement in other Member States. The Government must press the Commission to bring forward the Food and Veterinary Office visits to other Member States so that UK producers are not disadvantaged even further.
8The Agriculture Minister’s evidence suggested that it was inevitable that wrongly labelled or unlawful meat...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Agriculture Minister’s evidence suggested that it was inevitable that wrongly labelled or unlawful meat products would be imported into the UK to replace UK- produced desinewed meat. This is totally unacceptable at a time when domestic producers have paid such a heavy price for compliance with the Commission’s request. In its response to this report the Government must set out what steps it is taking to proactively identify and prevent such imports from taking place.
9As a non ministerial government department, it is particularly important that the FSA ensures that...
Recommended (the committee's words)
As a non ministerial government department, it is particularly important that the FSA ensures that Defra officials and, where appropriate, Ministers, are actively engaged in issues which may have broader implications for the food industry. In view of the possible trade implications of a challenge to the UK’s interpretation of the Food Hygiene Regulations, Defra officials should been closely involved in ongoing negotiations with the Commission from an early stage. Defra Ministers should have been made aware, following the FVO’s visit in March, that they had serious concerns about the use of desinewed meat. We recommend that the Government set out in its response to this report how it will improve communication between the FSA and other Government Departments across the UK. We further recommend that the Government set out how, whilst ensuring its independence, the FSA’s accountability to Parliament can be improved, including MPs’ ability to question the FSA.
10Whilst the Commission’s actions may already have irreparably damaged parts of the British meat industry,...
Recommended (the committee's words)
Whilst the Commission’s actions may already have irreparably damaged parts of the British meat industry, the Government should make every possible effort to persuade the Commission to reverse its decision.
11Should the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority support the UK’s position on desinewed...
Recommended (the committee's words)
Should the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority support the UK’s position on desinewed meat the Government should seriously consider taking legal action against the Commission unless the moratorium is immediately lifted.
12Our examination of the chain of events which led to the moratorium has highlighted the...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Our examination of the chain of events which led to the moratorium has highlighted the heavy-handed and disproportionate nature of the Commission’s actions but has also exposed serious flaws in the handling of this issue by the FSA, Defra, and the Department of Health. It is, of course, our producers who are paying the price for these mistakes.