HC Deb 10 January 1996 vol 269 cc254-5W
Dr. Wright

To ask the minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many meetings have been held by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee since its inception; what research it has commissioned; what reports it has made; and which of its papers have been(a) published and (b) not published. [7809]

Mrs. Browning

The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee has met on 29 occasions since its inception in 1990. Its responsibilities include advising MAFF and the Department of Health on research priorities, but it does not commission research itself. It has published two reports, the most recent in February 1995. A copy is available in the Library of the House. Papers for the committee are internal to the committee and are not generally published.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many reports he has received from farmers alleging that when they have reported BSE symptoms to his Department's veterinary officers, they have not received advice as to the action they should take. [7988]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 9 January 1996]: We are not aware of any allegations. An advisory leaflet was sent to all registered cattle owners in 1990. The leaflet gives details of the action to be taken by farmers who suspect that an animal may be affected with BSE, and the action which will be taken by the Ministry when a suspect is notified.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment his Department has made of the fatal toxicity levels of BSE in respect of(a) animals and (b) humans. [8096]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 9 January 1996]: It is not possible to quantify infectivity in any tissue in absolute terms because the agent itself has not been characterised, and it cannot be cultured or assayed in vitro. Quantification by bioassay provides an assessment of the amount of infectivity present in the source tissue, but it can be expressed only in relative terms specific to the experimental animal model used and the route of challenge. Quantification of the minimum amount of infective cattle brain needed to produce clinical disease in the challenged animal species has been carried out for mice, and is currently in progress in cattle in separate experiments by oral and intracerebral routes. Both experiments are incomplete and cannot yet be interpreted. No such assessment is possible for humans without deliberately exposing humans to BSE agent.