HC Deb 20 January 1992 vol 202 cc5-6W
Dr. David Clark

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the confirmed cases of BSE in Northern Ireland(a) in 1991 and (b) before 1991 on a county basis.

Mr. Hanley

Following is the information.

1991
County Number of confirmed cases of BSE
Down 27
Fermanagh 19
Londonderry 26
Tyrone 32
Antrim 55
Armagh 11
Total 170

Prior to 1991
Down 33
Fermanagh 12
Londonderry 12
Tyrone 25
Antrim 42
Armagh 9
Total 133

There are 1,533,226 cattle in Northern Ireland, and a total of 308 confirmed cases of BSE have been reported to date.

Dr. David Clark

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the location, including the county, of the incinerators which dispose of BSE-infected cattle that are currently operating in Northern Ireland and in each case give the potential capacity and actual capacity for through put each week of infected cattle; whether he has plans to introduce new incinerators; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hanley

There are two incinerators currently operating in Northern Ireland, one at Dundonald, County Down, and one at Omagh, Co. Tyrone. These incinerators both of which are owned by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland are used for the disposal of a wide range of pathological material, for example, clinical material submitted for diagnostic investigations and post-mortem examination. The Department is currently installing a new incinerator in County Down. The potential capacity—based on 24 hours a day, five days a week operation—and actual throughputs are as follows:

Bovines Per Week
Potential Actual Throughputs1
County Tyrone 60 2.0
County Down 75 3.5
1Average weekly number of BSE infected cattle.

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