HC Deb 12 June 1996 vol 279 cc203-4W
Mr. Dover

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research projects have been(a) requested and (b) commissioned by his Department in the areas of BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the last two months. [31038]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: Details of the research projects requested and commissioned in the last two months are as follows:

  1. (A) Research proposals in the areas of BSE requested by MAFF in the last two months
    • Audit of Bovine and Ovine Slaughter and By-products Sector.
    • Strain-typing of scrapie agent in meat and bone meal.
    • Transmission of studies for the detection of BSE in sheep.
    • The study of BSE in sheep and the possibility of its vertical transmission.
    • Applied brain metabolism and nutrition studies in cattle to aid in the control of neurological disorders.
    • Bioassay of BSE infectivity in non-neural tissues by intra-cerebral inoculation of cattle.
    • Immunohistochemical detection of cellular perturbations in formalin-fixed brain from cattle.
    • Pathogenesis studies of experimental BSE in sheep.
    • Abnormal protein distribution in the central nervous system, non-neural tissues and body fluid of cattle affected by BSE.
    • Hot boning of beef to avoid carcase splitting—a case for a development project.
    • Pathogenesis studies of experimental BSE in sheep.
    • Abnormal protein distribution in the CNS, non-neural tissues and body fluids of cattle affected by BSE.
    • A combinatorial molecular approach for the identification of early markers for BSE in cattle.
    • The role of glycation in the generation of scrapie amyloid fibrils.
    • Identification of peptides that are recognised by sera from animals infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) using a random peptide phage display library.
    • Immune complexes and related markers in BSE.
    • A potential analysis for the presence of neural-tissue in beef and beef containing products.
    • Proposals on the role of free living mites in the epidemiology ofTSEs.
    • Proposals for developing a mouse transgenic for the bovine PrP gene.
  2. (B) MAFF-funded BSE research—approved April-May 1996
    • The neuropathological monitoring of suspect BSE cases born in 1992.
    • Development of mouse models for the study of bovine transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.
    • Electrophoretic analysis of body fluids to identify disease-specific proteins in ruminant spongiform encephalopathy.
    • Production of polyclonal antisera to highly purified bovine PrP scrapie.
    • Responsibility for CJD research lies with the Department of Health.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in each year since 1989 abattoirs were found to be in default of BSE-related regulations governing the treatment of carcases. [31246]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: Prior to 1 April 1995, responsibility for meat inspection was the responsibility of local authorities. Details of contraventions of BSE-related regulations in abattoirs prior to this date are not held centrally.

Since 1 April 1995, responsibility for meat inspection in slaughterhouses was transferred to the Meat Hygiene Service. Results of the state veterinary surveillance programme on the handling of specified bovine material in abattoirs since September 1995 were given in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, West (Sir J. Spicer) on 18 January 1996, Official Report, column 682, and my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) on 22 November 1995, Official Report, columns 192–93, and 30 April 1996, Official Report, columns 483–84.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in each year since 1989 abattoirs were prosecuted for failure to comply with BSE-related regulations governing the treatment of carcases. [31247]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: Prior to 1 April 1995, meat inspection was the responsibility of local authorities. Details of prosecutions made by local authorities of contraventions in slaughterhouses are not held centrally.

On 1 April 1995 responsibility for meat inspection in slaughterhouses was transferred to the Meat Hygiene Service. So far, there has been one successful prosecution and a number of other cases are under investigation.

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