§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice his Department publishes regarding the likelihood of the BSE prion remaining in soil treated with infected blood and bonemeal fertilisers. [139134]
§ Ms QuinMammalian meat and bone meal may not be used in fertilisers for agricultural land. Fertilisers for non-agricultural use may include mammalian meat and bone meal only if it has first been treated to the pressure-cooking standard.
In June 1996, SEAC considered the disposal of blood and gut contents from abattoirs. The Committee noted that the spreading of blood and gut contents on land had been normal practice. They noted that concern had been expressed about the practice; however, given that no BSE infectivity had ever been detected in blood, and that there was no evidence of horizontal transmission of disease which would suggest that cattle wastes were directly infective to cattle, they saw no reason to recommend that this practice should be prohibited.
§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what recent advice his Department has published regarding the safe disposal of packs of blood, fish and bonemeal which may contain the BSE prion; [139135]
(2) what recent advice his Department has published regarding the use of fertilisers containing blood, fish and bonemeal extracts. [139136]
§ Ms QuinIn January 1998, SEAC examined the practice of feeding fishmeal to farmed fish. They concluded that there was no reason to prohibit the practice.
The Committee also considered the use and disposal of bovine blood and concluded there was no significant risk associated with disposal of bovine blood on agricultural land.
Mammalian meat and bonemeal and blood meal derived from animals not slaughtered under the over-30-months-scheme (providing it is not from BSE suspects or SRM) can be legally incorporated into pet food production and non-agricultural fertiliser. Blood meal from such animals can also be included in animal feed. However, most blood and bonemeal is incinerated or landfilled.
SEAC reviewed the use of dried mammalian blood in animal feed on 29 September 2000. They agreed that there was no evidence to suggest the presence of BSE infectivity in cattle blood and concluded that there was no compelling need to change previous advice.
877W
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee to discuss proposed regulations relating to liquid condensate. [139151]
§ Ms QuinMinisters have not personally discussed this matter with SEAC. However, at its meeting on 3 June 1999 SEAC clarified its earlier advice by confirming that rendering condensate should no longer be spread on any land, and not just those fields where cattle might graze. SEAC considered this issue on 28 November and a public summary will be published on 19 December.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what additional help he plans to offer British beef farmers affected by a loss in consumer confidence caused by the recent discovery of BSE cases in France and Germany. [141129]
§ Ms QuinAt its meeting on 4 December the EU Agriculture Council will consider a number of proposals from the Commission. Full details of these are not yet available but we understand that they are designed both to restore consumer confidence in the beef market and to ease cash-flow problems faced by beef producers.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had with his EU colleagues with regard to an EU-wide labelling of beef. [141130]
§ Ms QuinI refer to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Clydesdale (Mr. Hood) on 21 July 2000,Official Report, columns 372–73W. Regulation 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and the Council subsequently came into effect and introduced an EU-wide compulsory system for the labelling of fresh, chilled, frozen and minced beef.