§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of confirmed cases of BSE during the first three months of 1993 that were(a) under two years of age, (b) aged two to three years, (c) aged three to four years, (d) aged five to six years and (e) aged seven or more years.
§ Mr. SoamesThe number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain in cattle in which the age has so far been determined in the first three months of 1993 by age at onset of clinical signs of disease, is as follows:
Age Band (Years) Number of cases Under 2 0 2 and less than 3 5 3 and less than 4 189 4 and less than 5 1,803 5 and less than 6 3,266 6 and less than 7 1,206 7 and over 437 The majority of these cases will have been clinically affected and reported in 1992, and consequently the data cannot be used as an expression of incidence in the first quarter of 1993.
§ Mrs. BrowningTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give his Ministry's estimated annual figures for BSE in beef cattle for the next five years.
§ Mr. SoamesThe number of cases of BSE occurring in beef cattle has always been a small part of the total. However, because it is still not possible to calculate accurately the extent to which the national herd was exposed to BSE agent through feed, accurate predictions of future incidence cannot be made.