§ 3. Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his latest estimate of the total number of animals affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy. [16099]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mrs. Angela Browning)Up to 23 February, a total of 158,277 cases of BSE had been confirmed in Great Britain.
§ Mr. HinchliffeDoes the Minister expect the results of the Ministry's study of cattle born after the feed ban to prove conclusively whether BSE is vertically transmissible?
§ Mrs. BrowningOur research into maternal transmission and animals born after the ban is intended to give a conclusive answer. We are some way from that so, in the interim, we have said categorically that we cannot rule out maternal transmission. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that if maternal transmission is subsequently proved, the numbers already show that it would not be sufficient to be responsible for the figures I gave in my initial answer.
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonDoes my hon. Friend agree that public confidence in British beef has been severely undermined by irresponsible media reporting, by media scaremongering and by media madness? Does she agree that British beef—I eat it on all occasions—is not only safe but the best? We should stand up for the British beef farmer.
§ Mrs. BrowningIndeed, my hon. Friend has summed up exactly the travesty presented by the media when they seek to decry an industry that is of high quality and respected around the world. British beef is safe to eat. Those are not just my words, but the words of the chief medical officer and the chairman of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee. I commend the eating of British beef to all hon. Members who eat meat.