§ Mrs. BrowningTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if all bovine carcases imported from EU countries have been subject to post mortem tests of(a) brain tissue and (b) the central nervous system; and if he will identify those parts of the central nervous system that are tested. [141719]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 11 December 2000]: Such testing has not taken place in the past. However, post mortem tests for BSE on bovine carcases aged more than thirty months and entering the food chain will be a Community requirement from 1 January 2001. When this requirement is implemented the tissues taken for testing will depend on which test is used. The validated tests available are Prionics and CEA tests on samples of brain or ENFER tests on cervical spinal cord. The carcases will be retained until the test results are known.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the approved method is of disposal of cattle slaughtered as an anti-BSE measure; how many cattle have been disposed of by this method; what are the unit costs; and how much has been spent to date on the disposal of carcases. [143317]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 20 December 2000]: The preferred method of disposal for BSE suspects, offspring cull animals, and selective cull carcases is incineration at a commercial incinerator. However, prior to 1991, when there was insufficient carcase incinerator capacity, some were disposed of by incineration on waste ground or local authority site, incineration on farm, or burial on farm or on a local authority landfill site.
In the early stages of the selective cull, a large number of cattle had to be sent to OTMS plants for slaughter and the carcases disposed of by rendering prior to final incineration.
Up to 30 November 2000, the total number of cattle disposed of in anti-BSE measures is 4,364,664, of which 6,246 have been buried. The remainder were rendered or incinerated.
449WTo date some 470,000 animals have been consigned for direct incineration under the over-thirty-month and selective cull schemes (SCS). The vast majority of animals, however, which have been processed under these two schemes have been slaughtered and rendered prior to final destruction by incineration.
There is no unit cost for disposal. It varies according to the charges at each incinerator and how far the carcase has to be transported.
The total disposal cost incurred between 1 August 1988 and 30 November 2000 is approximately £711 million of which £660 million has been spent on the slaughtering, transport and disposal of OTMS and SCS animals.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the extent to which residual ash following the incineration of cattle may still contain proteins. [143320]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 20 December 2000]: In June 1996 SEAC studied the issues surrounding the incineration of potentially infected cattle and concluded that there was no risk to humans from ash incinerated either in power stations, cement kilns or in dedicated incinerators.