HC Deb 20 March 1989 vol 149 c467W
Mr. Ron Davies

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what monitoring is carried out by his Department into transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in mammals in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Donald Thompson

Bovine spongiform en-cephalopathy is a notifiable disease in Great Britain and all suspected cases must be reported to the Ministry. Members of the Ministry's sheep and goat health scheme may participate in an optional scrapie monitoring programme. The veterinary investigation service of the state veterinary service continues to monitor for novel diseases which have not been recorded in this country.