PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Livestock: Hormone Treatments (13 April 2017)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effects of the use of pregnant mares' serum gonadotropin in meat production on human health.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

In order to market a veterinary medicine in the UK, an application must be submitted to the Government to obtain a marketing authorisation. All applications are scientifically assessed against European standards for quality, safety and efficacy to determine the benefits of the product.

This assessment also takes account of any potential risks to the environment, to animals, to people who administer the medicine and to those who may consume produce from treated animals. A product is only granted an authorisation if the benefits of the product outweigh its risks.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) has also assessed pregnant mares’ serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) for its suitability for use in food producing animals and concluded that PMSG offers no risk to the consumer.

Answered by:
George Eustice (Conservative)
24 April 2017