§ Lord Lyellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the State Veterinary Service's surveillance of the handling of specified offals in April, May and June 1996.
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Lord LucasThe controls on specified bovine material (SBM), previously termed specified bovine offals (SBO) are central to the protection of public health from any risk from BSE. Full compliance with them is of paramount importance in combating the disease. They require the removal of all those tissues
Slaughterhouses Hunt Kennels and Knackeries 1Rendering Plants 1Incinerators April 1996 Number of visits 281 265 13 27 Number of unsatisfactory visits 4 9 0 1 Percentage unsatisfactory 1.4 3.4 0 3.7 May 1996 Number of visits 313 248 10 32 Number of unsatisfactory visits 0 13 0 1 Percentage unsatisfactory 0 5.2 0 3.1 June 1996 Number of visits 268 213 11 24 Number of unsatisfactory visits 2 4 1 4 Percentage unsatisfactory 0.7 1.9 9.1 16.7 1 Rendering plants and incinerators have to be specifically approved to handle SBOs; only a small number of such plants are so approved. These results demonstrate an overall continuing trend of improvement in the handling of SBMs since the intensive surveillance programme began in September 1995.
It is disappointing that deficiencies continue to be found in small numbers of premises, and pressure is being maintained to improve the situation. However the majority of the failings in SBM handling found were relatively mild—for example, problems with staining or with record keeping, which would not present a direct risk to public or animal health. There have been no instances of the most serious failing, of leaving spinal cord attached to carcases, since March 1996.
The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is responsible for enforcing the SBM controls in slaughterhouses in Great Britain. The agency has developed detailed new protocols for the application of SBM controls. It has also established arrangements for specific refresher training on SBM controls for all inspection staff, and introduced a programme of SBM audit to ensure that SBM controls are being fully complied with and properly enforced. This is in addition to the surveillance visits carried out by the SVS. To implement the enhanced supervision of SBM, over 300 meat inspection staff have been recruited by the MHS. This intense effort by the MHS to perfect the application of the existing SBM controls is reflected in these SVS surveillance results.
Slaughterhouses face prosecution for significant breaches of the SBM controls, when sufficient evidence is available. At present, two plants have been successfully prosecuted and several more are under investigation with a view to prosecution.
The SVS will continue regular unannounced visits to all plants handling SBMs. The MHS will continue to enforce rules most vigorously, and press for prosecutions where there is sufficient evidence to support a case.
154WAknown potentially to harbour BSE infectivity from all cattle at slaughter.
The State Veterinary Service carries out regular unannounced visits to all plants handling SBMs to monitor their compliance with the controls. Results of their surveillance visits in April, May and June are set out below:
In future, information on this subject will be available in the BSE Enforcement Bulletin, which is to be published at the end of each month. Copies of the bulletin will be placed in the Libraries of both houses.