§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers have been found to have been in possession of BSE-contaminated feed since August 1996. [4863]
§ Mr. RookerRemnant work on the Feed Recall Scheme brought to our attention one farmer who has, since 1 August 1996, been in possession of feed containing mammalian meat and bone meal (MBM). The feed in question was not fed to livestock and has now been safely disposed of. It is impossible to say whether this feed was contaminated with the BSE agent but the controls on Specified Bovine Materials, which require the destruction of all tissues known to harbour BSE infectivity, mean that the likelihood of infectivity being present is very low.
In another incident, a farmer was found to have been storing mammalian MBM in a farm store together with ingredients used in the production of livestock feed. The MBM was disposed of in landfill. Thorough sampling showed no evidence that cross-contamination had occurred, and the premises were not part of a livestock enterprise.
The State Veterinary Service carries out a survey of feed mills and on farm feed mixers for evidence of breaches of feed controls. Since 1 August 1996, when the latest controls came into effect, no evidence of a breach of the legislation has been found.