HL Deb 29 July 2002 vol 638 cc132-3WA
Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the capacity in the United Kingdom for testing for prions in 2000; and whether in the past six months there has been any alteration in that capacity. [HL5153]

Lord Whitty

In 2000, UK TSE testing capacity was sufficient to meet diagnostic and research requirements and to carry outad hoc surveys of cattle entering the over thirty months scheme (OTMS). Since then, major EU-wide cattle and sheep testing programmes have been introduced and capacity has greatly increased. In the past six months, new facilities have come on stream at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency laboratory at Shrewsbury.