HC Deb 21 May 1997 vol 294 cc95-9W
Mr. Baker

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many carcases of cattle affected or suspected of being affected with BSE were disposed of by burial at Beddingham landfill site up to the end of 1991; and if these carcases were buried with their spinal cords; [101]

(2) what scientific evidence underlay his Department's policy of disposing of cattle carcases affected by or suspected of being affected by BSE in landfill sites prior to 1991; [103]

(3) for what reason spinal cords were not removed from the carcases of cattle affected or suspected of being affected by BSE before they were buried in landfill sites before 1991. [105]

Mr. Rooker

In the early years of BSE epidemic, incineration capacity was insufficient to deal with all the cattle involved. Therefore, during the summer of 1988 this Department approached East Sussex County Council seeking licensed landfill facilities for the disposal of cattle suspected of having BSE. At that time, the County Council was responsible as a waste disposal authority for the granting and supervision of licences under Part I of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Following an assessment by the authority of the landfill sites then it its ownership, Beddingham was identified by that authority as suitable for the disposal of waste of this kind. The Ministry's records, cross checked with those available to the Environment Agency, indicate that the carcases of fewer than 10 cattle affected, or suspected of being affected, with BSE were disposed of at the Beddingham landfill site between August 1988 and October 1989.

Compulsory slaughter of all cattle suspected of having BSE, with compensation, was introduced from August 1988. Under these arrangements the heads of suspects were removed from the carcases for confirmation of the presence, or otherwise, of BSE and were subsequently incinerated. The removal of spinal cord was not necessary for this purpose. The Southwood Committee, the group of independent experts initially set up to advise Ministers on BSE, recommended precautionary action against spinal cords and other cattle tissues which might carry the BSE agent in respect of certain foodstuffs. The bovine offal controls introduced in November 1989 in response to the Committee's advice went further than the Committee recommended. The Committee noted without objection that some cattle were disposed of by burial.

No cattle suspected of having BSE have been disposed of by landfilling since 1991, since when sufficient carcase incineration capacity has been available to process the number of animals involved.

Mr. Baker

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the dangers to(a) public health and (b) the contamination of the water table, from the disposal of carcases of cattle affected or suspected of being affected by BSE in Beddingham landfill site; and if he will make a statement. [102]

Mr. Rooker

In May last year a sub-group of the independent Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC), which advises Ministers on BSE, considered the issue of BSE and the environment, including the past disposal of BSE suspect cattle to landfill. They considered that, although the spongiform encephalopathy agent was not yet fully characterised, there was good evidence to believe that individual molecules were not infectious and that infectivity was associated with macro molecular agglomerations and possibly with tissue fragments, albeit small ones. On this basis they concludedit was unlikely that leachate from landfill sites would present a significant risk and there was certainly no justification for taking heroic measures to excavate sites, even those which had previously been used for material such as BSE-confirmed cattle".

The Environment Agency has regulatory responsibility for supervising the safe operation of landfill sites and is in possession of SEAC's advice. The Agency monitors ground water quality in the vicinity of licensed landfill sites as a check for any leachate contamination. They are assessing data on a typical selection of identified sites to determine whether there is a possibility of impact on water quality.

Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many, and what percentage of, cattle(a) have been (i) slaughtered, (ii) incinerated and (iii) rendered and (b) are in storage, under the over 30 months scheme. [611]

Mr. Rooker

Up to 11 May 1997, some 1,420,866 cattle have been slaughtered under the over 30 months scheme. Of these:

Number Per cent Method of disposal
69,075 4.9 have been incinerated;
1,227,763 86.4 have been rendered for subsequent

destruction;
124,0281 8.7 are in cold storage.
1Estimate based on the tonnage of product taken into store.

Mrs. Jackson

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list, for each rendering firm, the amounts paid to them for rendering cattle covered by the over 30 months scheme(a) in pounds sterling and (b) as a percentage of the total; and if he will list the (i) tonnage and (ii) number of such cattle rendered by each rendering firm. [613]

Mr. Rooker

The provision of details of payments made to individual renderers, or other information from which such payments could be deduced, would breach commercial confidentiality. Companies to which payments were made were:

  1. Canterbury Mills Ltd.
  2. Duncrue Food Processors Ltd.
  3. Dundas Bros Ltd.
  4. Fats and Proteins (UK) Ltd.
  5. William Forrest and Sons (Paisley) Ltd.
  6. Gilberts Animal By-Products
  7. Lisburn Proteins Ltd.
  8. J G Pears (Newark) Ltd.
  9. Peninsular Proteins Ltd.
  10. Prosper De Mulder Ltd.
  11. Ulster Farm By-Products Ltd.

The information sought, on a UK basis is as follows:

Total
Tonnage of material rendered on which payment made to 15 May 1997 527,814
Total payments (excluding VAT) made to renderers to 15 May 1997 (£ million) 54,882
Estimated animals covered by above payments1 1.139,361
1Based on 460 kg of processed material per animal.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice his Department has received as to the role of cattle feed as the infective agent leading to BSE. [245]

Mr. Rooker

The conclusions of epidemiological investigations have been published in peer reviewed journals and submitted to Government advisory committees from time to time. These have also been included in the six-monthly Progress Reports on BSE in Great Britain which are laid in the Library of the House. Cattle feed is still considered to have been the primary route of infection, although advice recently received from SEAC suggests that a small proportion of cases may arise as a result of maternal transmission. The SEAC statement on their findings on maternal transmission was issued as a MAFF News Release on 18 April 1997 which was laid in the Library of the House.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what projections he has evaluated in respect of the incidence of BSE in each of the next 10 years. [298]

Mr. Rooker

My officials have evaluated the epidemiological analysis carried out by Professor Anderson of Oxford University and his team, in collaboration with Wilesmith and others at VLA, which was published in Nature, Vol. 382. Their research indicates that the BSE epidemic will reach insignificant levels by the year 2001 irrespective of any further measures. This analysis supports Government predictions on the future pattern of the disease.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate as to the projected cost of the culling of cattle under each of the BSE-related cull schemes. [293]

Mr. Rooker

We estimate that the selective cull will cost £185 million, although this is partly financed by the European Union and there will be savings on other schemes. The cost will depend, however, on the distribution of exposed animals and the number of animals which have to be slaughtered which can only be estimated at this stage.

It is impossible to predict with any accuracy the total cost of the Over Thirty Month Scheme, given the duration of this demand-led Scheme is unknown. However, by the end of the current financial year expenditure is expected to amount to around £1,230 million, part of which is financed by the European Union.

Expenditure on the Calf Processing Aid Scheme, which is wholly financed by the European Union, is expected to amount to around £140 million by November 1998. The Scheme's operation after that date is subject to consideration by the Council of Ministers.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the projected level of incidence of BSE over the next 10 years. [10]

Mr. Rooker

I refer my hon. Friend to the paper published inNature in August 1996 by Professor R. M. Anderson et al, a copy of which can be found at Appendix 5 of the November 1996 Progress Report which has been placed in the Library of the House. That paper gives a prediction of future tends in the incidence by year of BSE infections. It is anticipated that the BSE epidemic is likely to fade close to extinction by the year 2001 as a result of the control measures which are already in place. It is, however, pertinent to point out the many assumptions that had to be made in making such estimates. Significant deviation from such assumptions will inevitably affect the predicted outcome.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the reports relating to the diagnosis and incidence of BSE received by his Department over the last 12 months. [12]

Mr. Rooker

Reports relating to the diagnosis and incidence of BSE are already available in the fortnightly report to the Commission on BSE measures taken by the UK, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what incidence of BSE-related contamination in dairy products has been reported to his Department in each of the last three years; and if he will publish such reports. [40]

Mr. Rooker

No BSE infectivity has ever been detected in cows milk including milk from animals clinically affected by BSE, nor has it been found in bovine mammary gland tissues.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date Ministers were first informed of the dangers of a BSE-related infective agent. [246]

Mr. Rooker

Ministers were first informed of the possibility that BSE might be caused by a transmissible agent on 5 June 1987.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the transmission of BSE-related conditions through pet food. [47]

Mr. Rooker

No research has been commissioned into the transmission of BSE-related conditions through pet food. Epidemiological investigations into Feline Spongiform Encephalopathy (FSE) in domestic cats and our knowledge of the disease lead us to conclude that cases occurred because Specified Bovine Offal (SBO) could be legally incorporated in pet food until its use was prohibited in September 1990.

Mr. Nicholls

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to receive the SEAC report into the safety of EU beef production; and if he will make a statement. [136]

Mr. Rooker

The European Commission's draft report 2001/97 on risk factors and surveillance procedures on BSE in the Community has been put to SEAC and we are awaiting its views.

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