§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidance is issued to veterinarians in cases where illness and death in animals could result from infection by a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. [38550]
§ Mrs. Browning[holding answer 30 October 1995]: Health and safety guidelines drawn up by the British Veterinary Association and MAFF in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive were distributed to all large animal veterinary practices early in 1990. The advisory note for farmers on BSE, issued by this Department in June 1990, was also made available to all large and mixed animal veterinary practices. Copies of MAFF's booklets "BSE and the protection of human health" and "BSE and the protection of animal health" were also distributed to all local veterinary inspectors involved with animal disease work in late 1994. I have placed copies of all of these in the Library of the House. In addition, the State Veterinary Service's own instructions on BSE are available to the general public from MAFFs Whitehall library.
Veterinary practitioners are also encouraged to seek advice from their local divisional veterinary manager in any unusual or difficult circumstances or on matters outwith their experience.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield of 15 February,Official Report, column 715–16, if he will make a statement on the nature of treatment of specified bovine offal at rendering plants and their subsequent fate. [38560]
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§ Mr. BrowningThe Specified Bovine Offal Order 1995 requires all rendering plants handling specified bovine offal to meet clearly defined structural and hygiene standards and to be capable of processing SBO using one of the time-temperature combination methods described in that order before being approved by the appropriate Minister. The processing methods are defined in Commission decision 94/382 which sets standards for rendering ruminant material.
The operator of an approved rendering plant is required to keep a record of the weight of SBO delivered, the date of delivery and the place from which it was consigned for two years from the date of arrival. The operator of an approved rendering plant is required to ensure that all SBO in the rendering plant is kept and stored separately from all other material, and handled and rendered separately from all other material. Those rendering plants which have indicated their intention to continue to process SBO after 15 February 1996 will have to install dedicated processing lines for SBOs by that date to comply with the Order. These lines must also meet the standards for rendering ruminant material defined in Commission Decision 94/382.
After the SBO has been rendered, the plant operator is required to ensure that the resulting protein and tallow are placed in separate containers labelled as holding SBO. Protein must be disposed of as specified in the renderer's approval or by burial at a land-fill site holding a current waste management licence or by sending to an approved incinerator. Tallow must be sent for purposes not connected with the preparation of food or feedingstuffs, for burial to a registered landfill site holding a current waste management licence or for treatment by thermal hydrolysis.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield of 31 January,Official Report, column 645–46 what is the scientific evidence to show that the great majority of feed cases born after the ban have probably been exposed to ruminant protein in feed; and if he will make a statement. [38561]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe number of animals affected with BSE that were born after the feed ban is relatively small compared with the number born prior to the ban. As at 24 October 1995, there have been 22,946 cases confirmed in animals born after the ban or—BABs—10,689 cases born in July to December 1988, 9,364 born in 1989, 2,425 born in 1990, 461 born in 1991, six in 1992 and one in 1993—compared with the total number of BSE cases confirmed to 24 October 1995 of 154,150. Of cases born after the ban, 87 per cent. are in animals born in 1988 and 1989 when feed manufactured before the ban was still in the animal feed chain.
A number of pieces of evidence together indicate the role of feed in transmitting infection to animals born after the ban. First, the infectivity of cattle brain from animals with BSE has been demonstrated in a pathogenesis study when it is fed to calves. Secondly, the infectivity of rendered ruminant waste which included brain from clinically affected cattle has been demonstrated in experiments looking at various rendering mechanisms and conditions. Thirdly, the case control study of BABs born after 31 October 1988 found no evidence that any 221W methods of transmission, other than feed, which was not included in the study, was occurring at a frequency capable of maintaining the epidemic. In particular, the study found no statistically significant evidence that maternal transmission occurred. Fourthly, analysis of the geographical incidence of BSE in home-bred animals shows that the proportion of cases of BSE in the northern and eastern regions of England, where the ratio of pigs and poultry to cattle is greatest, has increased relative to the rest of Britain. This change is consistent with the contamination of cattle feed stuffs by pig or poultry feed stuffs, or ingredients used to prepare them, having occurred in premises which produce both ruminant and monogastric rations. It was permissible to feed protein derived from specified bovine offals to non-ruminant species until 25 September 1990.
Finally, there is evidence that there have been failings in the handling of SBOs after removal from the carcase which could have resulted in these offals entering the animal feed chain. Details were given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) in reply to the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 19 July 1995, Official Report, column 1467.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of(a) confirmed BSE cases and (b) BSE cases placed on restriction and slaughtered for the periods (i) 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990, (ii) 1 April 1990 to 31 March 1991, (iii) 1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992, (iv) 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993, (v) 1 april 1993 to 31 March 1994 and (vi) 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995; and what compensation was claimed. [38562]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe following table shows the number of BSE suspects placed under restriction and subsequently slaughtered, the number of confirmed cases of BSE and the total BSE compensation paid:
Number of BSE suspects placed under restriction and subsequently slaughtered Of these, number of confirmed BSE cases Total BSE compensation paid £ 1 April 1989–31 March 1990 10,275 9,192 4,027,644 1 April 1990–31 March 1991 18,479 15,805 10,663,129 1 April 1991–31 March 1992 33,805 29,535 20,125,665 1 April 1992–31 March 1993 43,411 37,116 32,366,239 1 April 1993–31 March 1994 38,186 32,051 37,003,654 1 April 1994–31 March 1995 24,163 20,549 19,822,185
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many BSE cases born in each month since July 1988 were subsequently confirmed. [38613]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe following table shows the number of confirmed cases of BSE born in each month since July 1988:222W
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 January — 878 333 67 2 — February — 377 173 26 2 — March — 477 154 36 1 — April — 312 108 27 — — May — 234 89 27 — — June — 506 140 34 — 1 July 466 868 272 68 — — August 2,536 1,710 385 76 1 — September 3,258 1,765 350 56 — — October 2,209 1,115 207 20 — — November 1,270 659 112 17 — — December 950 463 102 7 — —
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many(a) confirmed and (b) suspected but not confirmed BSE cases in each year were born of dams which has subsequently also been confirmed as suffering from BSE. [38563]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe following table shows the number of animals restricted as BSE suspects in each year from 1989 and subsequently slaughtered, which were born of dams which have been confirmed as suffering from BSE:
Year BSE confirmed BSE not confirmed 1989 4 2 1990 30 8 1991 91 20 1992 184 20 1993 281 49 1994 382 41 1985 159 17 Data are not available for years before 1989. The 1995 data are complete to 24 October.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many suspected BSE cases were placed under restrictions in the periods(a) 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990, (b) 1 April 1990 to 31 March 1991, (c) 1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992, (d) 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993, (e) 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 and (f) 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995; what compensation was claimed; in how many suspect cases in each period the restriction order was subsequently withdrawn following further veterinary inspection; and what compensation was claimed. [38565]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe following table shows the number of suspected BSE cases placed under restriction and the number of restriction orders withdrawn:
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Number of cattle placed under restriction Number of restriction orders withdrawn 1 April 1989–31 March 1990 10,855 461 1 April 1990–31 March 1991 19,418 743 1 April 1991–31 March 1992 35,306 1,142 1 April 1992–31 March 1993 45,569 1,754 1 April 1993–31 March 1994 40,500 1,907 1 April 1994–31 March 1995 25,639 1,244 The total amount of BSE compensation paid in each of the periods is set out in my earlier reply to the hon. Gentleman. No compensation is payable on animals restricted as BSE suspects but subsequently released from that restriction following further veterinary inspection.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the number of animals infected with BSE which have found their way into the human food chain. [40379]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe Department is aware of 1,104 cases of BSE which occurred prior to 7 August 1988 when the compulsory slaughter and destruction of suspects was instituted. Before that date it was permissible for these cattle—with the exception of the brain, which was used to confirm the clinical diagnosis—to be used for human consumption but we do not know what proportion of that total was used for human consumption. Many of these animals were sent to veterinary investigation centres, and the carcases incinerated; others would have been in such poor condition that they would not have produced meat fit for human consumption. It is not possible to make anything other than extremely speculative estimates of the number of animals which would at some stage in their lives have succumbed to BSE if they had not died for some other reason, or been slaughtered.
From 13 November 1989, in England and Wales and 30 January 1990 in Scotland, specified bovine offals, the tissues considered most likely to contain the infective agent, have been removed from all cattle over six months of age at slaughter.