HC Deb 18 June 1996 vol 279 cc428-30W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the value on 2 June of the foodstuffs known to be contaminated by BSE whose possession he proposes should be made a criminal offence. [31610]

Mrs. Browning

It is not correct to assume that all mammalian meat and bone meal contains the BSE agent but to address the possible risk, the feeding to all livestock of feed incorporating it has been prohibited since 4 April. This has the effect of removing any risk of recycling the disease through its accidental inclusion in cattle rations.

It is difficult to identify any legitimate use for such material remaining on farms, at feed mills and at feed merchants. Rather than having any value, it represents a storage and future disposal cost for the holder. On 10 June, we announced a feed recall scheme which will provide for its collection and disposal free of charge.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if(a) farmers and (b) others holding BSE-contaminated foodstuffs are to be compensated; and if they will be required to state if they have fed the meal to bovines. [31618]

Mrs. Browning

It would be wrong to presume that all mammalian meat and bonemeal is infectious or contains the BSE agent. No compensation will be paid to farmers or others holding animal feed incorporating MBM. Farmed animal feed containing MBM is being collected and disposed of free of charge under the free recall scheme, announced on 10 June.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the amount and location of contaminated feedstuff suspected of carrying the BSE agent. [31609]

Mrs. Browning

It has been estimated that 5,000 to 15,000 tonnes of pig and poultry feed incorporating mammalian meat and bone meal may be awaiting collection and disposal at feed mills and at feed merchants. It is impossible to estimate how much, if any, of this feed harbours the BSE agent and so poses a risk of recycling the disease if it were fed to cattle, which would be an illegal act. The recall scheme will target all feedingstuffs containing MBM.

The amount of this material remaining on farms after its feeding to all farmed animals became illegal on 4 April is thought to be relatively small.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what factors underlay his proposal to EU Agriculture Ministers to make possession of BSE-contaminated feedstuff a criminal offence; and for what reasons this policy was not introduced earlier. [31759]

Mrs. Browning

The proposed offence to which the question refers would be for farmed animal feed containing mammalian meat and bone meal or for MBM itself to be present on farms, at feed mills or feed merchants, since some MBM may harbour the BSE agent and so pose a risk of recycling the disease if it, illegally, found its way into cattle rations.

As feed incorporating mammalian meat and bone meal now has no legitimate use on farms and as any residual stocks in the non-ruminant farmed animal feed chain present a possible source of cross-contamination to cattle rations, it is best that it is removed. Making its possession illegal from 1 August, together with a Government-funded recall scheme, will encourage early removal.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date the Government were first informed of BSE-related contaminated feed being fed to cattle. [31249]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 4 June 1996]: Early epidemiological investigations carried out in 1987 and 1988 showed that the only common facts in herds with confirmed cases of BSE was the use of concentrated animal feed containing, in particular, concentrate containing meat and bone meal. As a result of these findings, the ruminant protein feed ban was introduced in July 1988.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedures he has evaluated to identify whether animal feed contains the infective agent responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. [31631]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 10 June 1996]: The ELISA test is currently being used to ensure that animal feed does not contain mammalian protein. Bioassay tests on feed to test for infectivity are possible but the sensitivity of the test at present is such that it is extremely unlikely that infectivity could be detected.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many samples of commercial feed have been found to be contaminated with a BSE agent. [31632]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 10 June 1994]: No attempt has been made to detect infectivity in commercial feed. Bioassay tests on feed to test for infectivity are possible but the sensitivity of the test at present is such that it is extremely unlikely that infectivity could be detected.

Testing has however been carried out to detect the presence of mammalian protein in animal feed. This is not synonymous with infection, but its presence would be in contravention of past and current prohibitions.

Of 928 samples of feedingstuffs tested in February and March, eight were positive for the presence of ovine or porcine protein. None showed any evidence of bovine protein. In April, samples taken following an incident at a poultry mill and investigations into the supplier, led to the disclosure of four further positive samples. Again no bovine protein was isolated.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantity of material from rendering plants, potentially contaminated with BSE has been disposed of by(a) burial in landfill sites and (b) spreading on open ground. [31634]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 10 June 1996]: All BSE suspect cases are incinerated. Council regulation 716/96 requires that cattle in the over-30 month scheme be incinerated or processed at rendering plants and destroyed. A number of options for the disposal of meat and bonemeal produced at plants are under active consideration and in all cases full weight will be given to protecting the environment. The options include incineration, use as fuel in power generation and eventual landfill.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what opinion surveys he has conducted relating to the impact of failures by animal feed mills, rendering plants and abattoirs fully to implement BSE-related regulations on public confidence in beef products. [32308]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 17 June 1996]: None.