Mince and Tatties Still Very Much on the Menu- Elspeth Attwooll MEP

12.00.00am GMT Thu 27th Mar 2008

Elspeth Attwooll MEP is reassuring constituents that they can continue to enjoy Scotland's other national dish, despite reports suggesting that EU is set to outlaw the means by which mince is traditionally prepared by Scottish butchers.

Commenting, the Lib Dem MEP said:

"I have sought clarification from the relevant authorities and I can assure everyone that mince and tatties is still very much on the menu, despite reports to the contrary.

The regulation in question doesn't apply to premises that prepare and sell meat directly to the consumer. In other words it doesn't apply to our butchers' shops, which can continue to make their own mince in the same way that they always have.

The confusion seems to have arisen from the fact that the UK recently proposed a national measure to lift the limit that is imposed on the number of days between the slaughtering and mincing of chilled meat by wholesalers, largely for supply to supermarkets. Negotiations on this are indeed ongoing".

ENDS

Note:

The time limit for UK wholesale minced meat production has been in place since the first of January 2006. Prior to this, under national regulation, the limit only applied to minced meat produced for export. So now the time limits apply to both export and domestic wholesale production, but importantly they do not apply to premises that supply the final consumer directly, e.g. they do not apply to butchers' shops. Nor do they apply to minced meat intended for use in foods that are 'heat treated' before sale, such as cooked pies.