§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of confirmed BSE cases in England for each of the past 36 months. [33306]
§ Mrs. Browning[pursuant to her reply, 10 July 1996, c. 245]: The number of confirmed BSE cases by date of confirmation in England for each of the last 36 months is:
705W
Month/year Cases July 1993 1,876 August 1993 2,322 September 1993 2,210 October 1993 2,228 November 1993 2,762 December 1993 2,013 January 1994 1,678 February 1994 2,655 March 1994 2,754 April 1994 2,141 May 1994 1,634 June 1994 2,140 July 1994 1,223 August 1994 1,338 September 1994 1,612 October 1994 1,757 November 1994 1,642 December 1994 1,004 January 1995 1,441 February 1995 1,746 March 1995 1,434 April 1995 967 May 1995 1,220 June 1995 1,098 July 1995 1,080 August 1995 894 September 1995 827 October 1995 920 November 1995 945 December 1995 655 January 1996 785 February 1996 1,000 March 1996 736
Month/year Cases April 1996 545 May 1996 515 June 1996 939 Total 52,736 There is a delay of several weeks, while diagnostic tests are completed between the slaughter of BSE suspect animals and the confirmation of the case as being BSE. Procedural changes within the veterinary investigation service significantly reduced processing capacity from March to May, and the subsequent increase in June represents clearance of the backlog. A similar backlog resulting from public holidays and Christmas was cleared in February.