Question reference: S1W-02684
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 19 November 1999
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Current status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 December 1999
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is of a gonad only test result compared to a whole animal test result for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning in king scallops and why the testing regime in Scotland is different to that in Northern Ireland.
Answer
There is no difference in the cost of testing the gonad compared to the whole animal for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning in king scallops.
The testing regime in Scotland is directed to the gonad since research has shown that, of the most commonly eaten parts of the scallop, this tends to have the highest concentrations of toxins. The EU legislation requires that the whole body or any part edible separately is tested.The testing regime in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland authorities.