§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of compensation paid in respect of animals slaughtered as BSE carriers has subsequently been discovered to have been paid in respect of animals which were not infected in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe percentage of cattle slaughtered as BSE suspects which were subsequently not confirmed after laboratory examination for the past five years is as follows:
Year Percentage unconfirmed 1990 15 1991 14 1992 15 1993 16 1994 123 1 Provisional figure. However, it is not possible without disproportionate costs to divide the total amount paid out in compensation into the percentages for confirmed and unconfirmed cases. The compensation paid varies from animal to animal according to market value within a ceiling which is adjusted monthly—the indicative market price. The ceiling is increased by 25 per cent. for unconfirmed cases.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 31 January,Official Report, column 645, what was the nature of the other experiments which revealed that cows milk contains no detectable BSE infectivity.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe other experiments involved challenge of mice with:
- A) A mixture of milk and udder by feeding;
- B) Milk alone by feeding;
- C) Udder alone by inoculation; and
- D) Milk alone by inoculation;
All derived from cows with clinical signs of BSE and confirmed by microscopic examination of the brain. No infectivity was detected in any of these studies.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 31 January,Official Report, column 647, how the sterilisation of specified bovine offals is undertaken.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe term "sterilised" is defined in the Specified Bovine Offal (Prohibition) Regulations 1989, as amended, and has the meaning as given in the Meat (Sterilisation and Staining) Regulations 1989.
716WUnder existing legislation, specified bovine offal must either be sterilised or stained at the place of its removal—that is, at the slaughterhouse. The sterilisation option is rarely used by slaughterhouses and the Government have recently consulted with interested parties on proposals to withdraw this option for slaughterhouses.
SBO will continue to be sent from slaughterhouses to rendering plants for treatment before being buried or incinerated under licence.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 31 January,Official Report, column 646, what was the monthly number of cases of BSE confirmed in the United Kingdom during 1994 that (a) were born before 18 July 1988 and (b) after 18 July 1988.
§ Mrs. BrowningThe number of confirmed cases of BSE in Great Britain for 1994 is as follows:
Year Born before 18 July 1988 Born after 18 July 1988 January 1,559 637 February 2,312 805 March 2,160 1,119 April 1,643 945 May 1,425 558 June 1,480 1,024 July 948 493 August 1,019 539 September 992 884 October 1,071 940 November 1,079 816 December 685 495 Total 16,373 9,255 The number of cases of BSE in Northern Ireland for 1994 is as follows. The ruminant feed ban in NI came into force on 11 January 1989.
Year Born before11 January 1989 Born after 11 January 1989 January 44 8 February 36 7 March 42 7 April 28 2 May 11 0 June 23 6 July 19 2 August 23 4 September 20 8 October 22 3 November 22 7 December 17 2 Total 307 56
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 31 January,Official Report, column 645, what was the apparent source of the infection in the cow born in April 1989.
§ Mrs BrowningIt is not possible to precisely indicate specific routes of infection for most individual cases. The breeding records relating to the case in question were incomplete and the date of birth was therefore estimated by its dentition. The animal's mother has been sold but has not been reported as a BSE suspect elsewhere.