Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the EU Food Safety Agency first became aware that Hepatitis E was present in pig meat from the Netherlands and Germany; and when that information was first communicated to authorities in England.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not hold information on when the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) first became aware of hepatitis E in pig meat from the Netherlands and Germany. This is outside of the FSA remit as EFSA does not fall within the United Kingdom’s jurisdiction.

As far as we are aware, the EFSA has not informed the FSA of any concerns regarding the presence of hepatitis E virus in pig meat from Germany or the Netherlands. The UK did, however, present a report on viruses in the food chain at the 55^th EFSA Advisory Forum meeting in March 2015, which included a review of hepatitis E. European member states took this opportunity to share information and experience on hepatitis E in pork products, identifying possible opportunities for further collaboration to support risk assessments in this area.