§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
When bans on the sale of those parts of beef carcasses regarded as likely to harbour bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) agents became effective; and how much time had elapsed since it was officially determined that BSE presented some risk to humans and other species. [HL1193]
§ Lord DonoughueControls in GB on those bovine tissues known to, or which might potentially, harbour detectable BSE infectivity in infected animals, have been in place since November 1989. These have been regularly reviewed and updated since then on the basis of developments in scientific advice. Details of the controls are as follows:
13 November 1989
The use in food for human consumption of certain specified bovine offals (SBO) prohibited in England and Wales. SBO defined as brain, spinal cord, spleen, thymus, tonsils and intestines of bovines aged over six months.
30 January 1990
The above prohibition extended to Scotland.
25 September 1990
Ban on the use of SBO extended to any animal feed.
6 November 1991
The use as a fertiliser of meat and bone meal produced from SBO prohibited.
12 March 1992
The use of the head of bovines after the skull is opened and the removal of the brain (except in areas which are free at all times from any food intended for human consumption) prohibited.
2 November 1994
The use of mammalian protein in ruminant feedingstuffs prohibited. SBO redefined as follows:
brain, spinal cord, spleen, thymus, tonsils and intestines of bovines over six months old which have died or been slaughtered in the UK;
thymus and intestines of bovines between two and six months old which have died or been slaughtered in the UK;
thymus and intestines of bovines aged under two months which have been slaughtered in the UK for human consumption.
15 August 1995
Requirement to dispose of the whole skull of bovines as SBO.
89WA15 December 1995
The use of bovine vertebral column in the manufacture of all MRM and in the production of certain other products for human consumption prohibited.
29 March 1996
Definition of SBO (now known as Specified Bovine Material—SBM) extended to include the head (including the brain but excluding the tongue) of a bovine aged over six months.
28 March 1997
The use of SBM and its derivatives in cosmetic, pharmaceutical or medical products prohibited.
16 December 1997
The sale of bone-in beef and the use of bone-in beef and beef bones in the preparation of food for sale for human consumption prohibited.
1 January 1998
Import of the following materials, and of any food or feedingstuff containing such materials, prohibited:
skull, including the brain and eyes, tonsils and spinal cord of a bovine which was slaughtered or died outside the UK at an age greater than 12 months;
brain, spinal cord, thymus, tonsils, spleen and intestines of a bovine which was slaughtered or died in the UK at an age greater than 6 months and the skull (including eyes) of such an animal which was aged over 12 months at the time of death.
It was on 20 March 1996 that the Government announced a new variant of CJD and that the most likely explanation was exposure to the BSE agent before the introduction of the SBO ban in 1989.