§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement regarding the extent of bovine spongiform throughout the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonAs at 22 April, 430 cases of BSE had been confirmed on 359 farms in Great Britain.
§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department will provide more information to farmers and veterinarians about the disease bovine spongiform.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonAll the known facts about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have been made available to the veterinary profession, the farming industry and the specialist media.
§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidelines his Department intends to give to farmers and veterinarians on the problem of bovine spongiform.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonAdvice, based on the current state of knowledge about the disease, is being provided, particularly through the Ministry's veterinary investigaton centres. There have also been a number of Ministry scientific presentations, publications and general articles on the subject including one, giving the latest advice, which will appear in this week'sVeterinary Record.