§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what checking mechanisms have been put in place by departmental officials to ensure that there is no BSE-contaminated feed either in store or trade circulation; [2204]
(2) what estimate he has made of the amount of BSE contaminated feed (a) in store and (b) in circulation in the United Kingdom. [2205]
§ Mr. RookerThe State Veterinary Service (SVS) introduced a feed sampling programme in February 1996. Samples of feed and feed ingredients are taken from feed mills, farms using on-farm feed mixers and any site where feed, or ingredients for feed, are produced or stored. Feed samples are tested for the presence of ruminant and porcine protein using the compound feed ELISA test. Results of this surveillance activity are published in the monthly BSE Enforcement Bulletin and copies are available in the Library of the House.
In June last year, the feed recall scheme was launched to ensure that residual stocks of mammalian meat and bonemeal (MBM) were removed from farms, feed mills and feed merchants before the ban on possession came into effect last August. In all, over 11,000 tonnes of material was collected in the UK. This material is now in secure storage awaiting destruction. This material is not known to be contaminated with BSE—the controls on Specified Bovine Materials, requiring all tissues known to harbour BSE infectivity to be destroyed, were in place before the feed recall scheme was undertaken, considerably reduce the possibility of infectivity being present in the recalled feed.
272WCompleted investigations into the results of the feed sampling programme which were positive and inconclusive (accounting for less than 2 per cent. of over 9,000 samples of the feed currently in circulation) have so far revealed no mammalian protein in ruminant rations or mammalian MBM in feed for farmed livestock.