§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on possible links between bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and cancer and the use of organo-pesticides in agriculture in the United Kingdom. [33537]
§ Mrs. Browning[holding answer 18 June 1996]: Epidemiological studies at the beginning of the BSE outbreak have revealed no correlation between the incidence of BSE in cattle and the use of chemicals in agriculture. Government is also aware that its independent advisory committee, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, has considered a number of possible theories about the origins of BSE including one that it relates to the use of organophosphates in cattle treatment but has not recommended that the Government undertake any research in furtherance of this theory. The Government are also aware of experiments conducted by staff from the Medical Research Council toxicology unit which showed that there was no significant binding between an organophosphate molecule and the PrP protein thought to be involved in the disease BSE as predicated in the theory.
Under statutory procedures for the approval of pesticides, data on the carcinogenic potential of all pesticides, including OPs, are required and evaluated by the regulatory authorities.