PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Parasitic Diseases: Screening (3 June 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of ensuring that standards of testing for trichinella are maintained after the UK leaves the EU.

Asked by:
Dame Angela Eagle (Labour)

The United Kingdom will maintain the requirements of European Union food safety legislation after leaving the EU. This will ensure that food standards applicable to both domestically produced and imported food are maintained and that UK food businesses continue to apply controls that are widely accepted by other countries.

It is not possible to determine an exact figure for trichinella costs going forward as this is dependent on the number of pigs slaughtered in a particular year, however, the UK will maintain the current testing requirements and the costs associated with testing should similarly remain the same.

In financial year 2018/19, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) spent approximately £565,000 on trichinella testing of which £275,000 was recovered through charges for official controls. The FSA will ensure that the resources required to maintain standards and level of testing for trichinella control are available after exit.

Answered by:
Seema Kennedy (Conservative)
11 June 2019