HC Deb 23 November 1992 vol 214 cc533-4W
Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what specific criteria are used to confirm a case of BSE.

Mr. Soames

Diagnosis of BSE is principally by histophathological examination of brain tissue. For the majority of animals, examination is confined to a single section of the brain stem. For animals born after I8 July 1988, histopathological examination has been supplemented by examination for scrapie—associated fibrils (SAFs) from cervical spinal cord. Where suspects are the offspring of confirmed cases, diagnosis currently involves histopathological examination of whole brain and SAF extraction.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 29 October,Official Report, column 781, how many positive cases of BSE were in (a) cows and (b) male cattle.

Mr. Soames

Up to 30 October 1992 in Great Britain, 72,031 cases of BSE have been confirmed in female cattle and 201 in male cattle.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many of the cattle offspring, born of BSE-infected mothers, as stated in the Southwood report, developed BSE.

Mr. Soames

The monitoring study described in paragraph 8.1 of the Southwood report has not produced any results yet as it is being conducted as a blind experiment. Field evidence derived from the BSE epidemic as a whole shows that to 9 November 1992 there are 190 confirmed BSE cases in animals which were offspring of previously confirmed cases. This incidence is the same as the incidence in cattle whose dams are unaffected.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 29 October,Official Report, column 781, if he will publish geographical details of confirmed BSE cases.

Mr. Soames

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 22 October,Official Report, column 354. Some of these cases will have been clinically suspected before the period.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 29 October,Official Report, column 781, when the study into the amount of infected material required to be eaten to cause BSE in cattle commenced; when it will be completed; how many animals are involved in the study; what results he has available for the number of cattle developing BSE from oral challenge; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames

This study began in January 1992. It involves four groups of 10 cattle, each group being exposed to a different dose of infected material. Its completion is dependent on the length of time before the presentation of clinical symptoms (particularly in the group receiving the smallest challenge dose, where the incubation period is expected to be the longest). So far. no cattle in the study have shown symptoms of the disease.