§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his veterinary service first received reports that cows were dying as a result of eating lead-contaminated feedstuffs; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerBovine carcases, aged six and nine months, were submitted to two veterinary investigation centres (Starcross, Devon and Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire) on Monday 30 October for post-mortem examination. As a result of these post-mortem examinations and subsequent laboratory tests, lead poisoning was diagnosed as the cause of death.
Follow-up inquiries included the examination of environmental and feed samples and the presence of lead in the feed eaten by these two animals was confirmed by Sutton Bonington on 31 October and by Starcross on 1 November.
At the same time our legal department was notified by the Dutch authorities of a danger to animal health due to a specified consignment of contaminated feed being exported to two companies in the United Kingdom.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle have died since the end of September from the farms where lead-contaminated feed was used; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 13 November 1989]: As of Monday 13 November 1989, lead poisoning has been diagnosed by the Veterinary Investigation Service on carcases and other material submitted from 12 premises where feed contaminated with lead has been fed. It is understood that 32 cattle have died on these premises.