Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what records his Department holds on the incidence of MRSA in farm animals; and if he will make a statement.
Answer
MRSA has not been detected in farmed livestock in the UK and there is no current evidence that food-producing animals form a reservoir of infection in the UK. The organism has been isolated from dairy cows, pigs and chickens outside the UK and an ongoing assessment of the international picture is being maintained. The European Food Safety Authority is looking at the issue of MRSA in food-producing animals and considering what surveillance and other actions would be most appropriate for EU member states to undertake to address the issue. The UK is actively participating in the development of these proposals.