Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Hansard, 29 January 1990)

§ Mr. Parry
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to assess the risk of transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy through pet food.

§ Mr. Maclean
Infectivity and other studies of tissues from BSE-affected cattle are currently being funded by MAFF at the neuropathogenesis unit and the central veterinary laboratory.

§ Mr. Ron Davies
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimate of the Southwood committee for the likely weekly maximum of new reported cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and at what weekly level new cases are currently being reported.

§ Mr. Maclean
The report of the Southwood working party estimated that 350 to 400 new cases of BSE might occur per month. In recent months around 800 cases have been confirmed. This is consistent with the single source epidemic described by Southwood.

§ Mr. Ron Davies
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has yet determined what78W processes are necessary to deactivate the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent in meat and bone meal; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Maclean
Research is in hand to try and establish the processes which might inactivate the agent of BSE.