§ Mr. McCuskerTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how may cattle showing symptoms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy were detected and brought to the attention of the Department of Agriculture during 1989; and how many cattle were detected at slaughterhouses and meat plants in 1989.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyDuring 1989, 54 cattle showing symptoms suggestive of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) were brought to the attention of the Department of Agriculture. Thirty of these were confirmed as BSE cases on post-mortem. Four of the suspect cases were found in the course of routine official inspection of all animals presented at slaughterhouses. Of these only one proved positive.