§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department was first notified of the existence of a scrapie-like disease occurring in cattle.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThrough the animal health surveillance activities and the vigilance and expertise of veterinary scientists at MAFF veterinary investigation centres and the Central Veterinary Laboratory, bovine spongiform encephalopathy was first identified as an entity in November 1986 Research carried out between CVL and the neuropathogenesis unit in Edinburgh has confirmed that bovine spongiform encephalopathy is similar to a group of spongiform encephalopathies, including scrapie in sheep.