§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on the inclusion of calves' brains in the specified offal ban; and if he will make a statement. [20923]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe matter has been reviewed on several occasions by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, which has not recommended that the specified bovine material ban should be extended in this way. This is based on the scientific evidence which shows that brains from experimentally infected calves do not harbour detectable levels of infectivity although infectivity can be detected in parts of the intestine—distal ileum—which were declared SBM as a result.