§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Government have implemented Sir Richard Southwood's recommendation about research and development into bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
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§ Mr. MacGregorA research consultative committee has been established under the chairmanship of Dr. David Tyrrell of the Medical Research Council. It will advise my Department and the Department of Health on research work in progress or proposed in relation to bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, on any additional work required and the priorities for future relevant research.
The other members are Dr. W. A. Watson, director of the central veterinary laboratory MAFF, Professor J. Bourne, director of the Institute of Animal Health, Dr. R. J. Will consultant neurologist at the Western general hospital, Edinburgh, Dr. R. Kimberlin ex-director of the neuro-pathogenesis unit, Edinburgh. Dr. Katherine Levy of the Medical Research Council will act as observer.
§ Sir Hal MillerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the report of the Southwood working party on bovine spongiform encephalopathy will be published; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe Secretary of State for Health and I are very grateful to Sir Richard Southwood and his colleagues for all their work and for their report on BSE which was presented to us on 9 February and is published today. We appointed the working party in April last year to examine and advise on the implications of BSE in relation to both animal health and any possible human health risks. Before receiving any recommendations from the working party, I had already banned from 18 July last year the feeding to ruminants of ruminant-derived protein feed immediately this was identified as being the probable source of the problem; and other important parts of the report have already been acted upon.
The report concludes that the risk of transmission of BSE to humans appears remote and it is therefore most unlikely that BSE will have any implications for human health. It points out that the related disease scrapie in sheep has been present in the United Kingdom for over 200 years and there has been no evidence of transmission to man. The report also concludes that, from present evidence, it is likely that cattle will prove to be a "dead end host" for the disease agent.
However the working party points out that, if its assessment proves incorrect, the implications would be serious. The working party believes that the disease has developed because of feeding practices associated with modern agriculture. It suggests that, in the context of the adjustment of the agricultural policy of the EC in coming years, consideration should be given to changes in present methods. I have discussed this point with Sir Richard Southwood who has said that his working party is not recommending a ban on all use of meat and bone meal in animal feeds, but is concerned that if they continue to be used they should be effectively sterilised.
The working party has greatly welcomed the speed with which the Government acted to ban the use of the animal feed rations in question and also to implement its interim recommendations. These measures include the compulsory slaughter of cattle suspected of having BSE and the removal from the food chain of their milk and carcases. The working party believes that the risks as at present perceived would not justify special labelling requirements for products containing either bovine brains or spleen. The report suggests, however, that manufacturers of baby foods should avoid the use of bovine thymus and offal.
90WSir Richard Southwood has confirmed that the term "offal" as it is used in the report (as defined in the regulations quoted) refers to brain, spinal cord, spleen and intestines (tripe). The chief medical officer is satisfied that none of these, nor thymus, are used in the manufacture of baby food and advises that mothers ought not to feed these materials to infants of, say. under 18 months. As a precautionary measure, I am however taking steps to ensure through secondary legislation that it will be illegal for anyone to sell baby food containing such products in future. With regard to other meats which people sometimes refer to as offal—such as kidney, liver and heart—the chief medical officer advises that there is no need for concern. These are extremely nutritious foods which are beneficial.
The Government also accepted an earlier recommendation to establish a consultative committee on research. This will be under the chairmanship of Dr. David Tyrrell of the Medical Research Council. This committee will advise my Department and the Department of Health on research work in progress or proposed in relation to BSE and the other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, on any additional work required, and on the priorities for future research. Terms of reference and full membership are now agreed as reported also today to Parliament.
Although the risk of transmission to humans is very remote, there are several further actions the Government propose to take as a matter of extreme prudence in response to the other recommendations in the report. These add up to a comprehensive response to all the working party recommendations. The measures are as follows:
We accept the importance the report attaches to the success of the study to determine whether cattle-to-cattle transmission can take place; and we are taking expert advice on the most effective way of continuing this study.
The Committee on the Safety of Medicines and the Veterinary Products Committee have considered the comments of the working party on the implications of BSE for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products from bovine material; and agree that any risks of transmission of BSE through medicinal products to man appear remote; as a precautionary measure, however, they have advised that additional guidance should be issued to medicine manufacturers on good manufacturing practice.
The Health and Safety Executive will be considering what further action is necessary to ensure that the existing guidance to occupational groups involved with cattle is followed: this guidance outlines hygiene procedures which are considered to be appropriate for BSE.
Although the report makes it clear that there is no evidence of any link between Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and BSE in cattle (or with scrapie in sheep, which has been present in the United Kingdom for over 200 years), the chief medical officer is ensuring mechanisms are in place to detect any change in the pattern of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
A thorough research programme is under way into the epidemiological background to the disease, and into transmissibility and genetic and microbiological aspects; research expenditure in 1988–89 is likely to amount to almost £1 million; we shall continue encouraging and funding further research in this area, taking into account recommendations made by the Tyrrell committee.
As far as the working party's recommendations on animal feed are concerned we have already acted to ban 91W the feeding of ruminant-derived material to ruminants; further action will be taken as necessary in the light of research work already under way on the heat-resistance of the agent and of any further research which may be recommended by the Tyrrell committee.
§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether his Department has made any forecast of the likely eradication of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in British cattle;
(2) what estimates his Department has made about the future incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[holding answer 24 February 1989]: There is no evidence that BSE is spreading from animal to animal but that all cases are attributable to a common source. Although our knowledge of the epidemiology of this newly identified disease is still developing any estimates must be tentative, the future incidence in Great Britain seems likely to remain at current levels until 1993. Thereafter, if cattle-to-cattle transmission does not occur, the incidence is expected to decline to a low level by 1996 and subsequently to disappear.
§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) when he first received a draft or interim report from the Southwood working party;
(2) if he has requested any amendment or modification to any draft or interim report submitted to him by the Southwood working party;
(3) how many interim reports he has received from Sir Richard Southwood's working party on bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and if he will place them in the Library;
(4) pursuant to his answer of 16 February, Official Report, column 359, if he will publish immediately the report of the Southwood working party.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[holding answer 24 February 1989]: No modification or amendment was requested in relation to the interim recommendations which were contained in two letters. The first, received on 22 June last year, recommended the slaughter and disposal of cattle suspected of having BSE. The compulsory slaughter policy was introduced on 8 August with carcasses being burned or buried. It also recommended the setting up of a consultative committee on research, details of which I announced today.
The second letter was received on 15 November recommending an indefinite extension to the feed ban and the prohibition on the use of milk from suspect cattle for human or animal consumption. Legislative measures came into force on 30 December to prohibit the use of milk and extend the feed ban. Full details are contained in the Southwood report, which is the committee's own, and which is published, unamended, in full today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will introduce a scheme to either reward or ban the sale for purposes other than for slaughter of animals from cattle herds in which bovine spongiform encephalopathy infection has been confirmed;
(2) if he will introduce a scheme for the random testing for bovine spongiform encephalopathy of cattle slaughtered for human consumption.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson(holding reply 24 February 1989): There are no plans to introduce such schemes.
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§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the number of cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy confirmed in each of his Department's veterinary investigation centres.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson(holding reply 24 February 1989): Before BSE became a notifiable disease on 21 June last year, histopathological examinations of brains from suspected animals were carried out at the Ministry's central veterinary laboratory, Weybridge, and at other Ministry establishments. Since 21 June last year, diagnoses have been carried out at nine veterinary investigation centres. The number of cases of BSE confirmed by each centre is as follows:
Number Cambridge 230 Carmarthen 213 Newcastle 64 Polwhele 404 Reading 188 Shrewsbury 453 Starcross 244 Thirsk 357 Wye 66
§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing the distribution of the total number of confirmed cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to date, by county, in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[holding reply 24 February 1989]: Up to 17 February, 2,888 cases of BSE had been confirmed in the following counties and regions of Great Britain:
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County Confirmed cases Avon 29 Bedfordshire 7 Berkshire 37 Borders 2 Buckinghamshire 20 Cambridgeshire 12 Central 3 Cheshire 42 Cleveland 1 Clwyd 16 Cornwall 316 Cumbria 51 Derbyshire 28 Devonshire 394 Dorset 191 Dumfries 17 Durham 4 Dyfed 91 Essex 3 Glamorgan Mid 7 Glamorgan South 11 Glamorgan West 2 Gloucestershire 133 Grampian 14 Gwent 29 Gwynedd 10 Hampshire 126 Hereford and Worcestershire 66 Hertfordshire 9 Highland 4 Humberside 8 Isle of Wight 12 Kent 80 Lancashire 51 Leicestershire 56
County Confirmed cases Lincolnshire 36 Lothian 2 Manchester 1 Merseyside 1 Norfolk 33 Northamptonshire 15 Northumberland 16 Nottinghamshire 12 Orkney 2 Oxfordshire 50 Powys 17 Salop 72 Shetland 1 Somerset 205 Staffordshire 47 Strathclyde 11 Suffolk 36 Surrey 49 Sussex East 30 Sussex West 78 Tayside 8 Warwickshire 20 Wiltshire 164 West Midlands 3 Yorkshire North 83 Yorkshire South 3 Yorkshire West 11