§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the importation of cattle feed into the UK; and if she will make a statement. [38525]
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§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 28 February 2002]: New EU-wide measures (implemented domestically under the Processed Animal Protein Regulations from 1 August 2001) already control intra-Community trade and imports from third countries of a wide range of processed animal proteins effectively preventing their inclusion in feed for farmed animals in order to stop the propagation of BSE.
In Great Britain, a national feed sampling programme has been in place since 1996 to monitor compliance with BSE-related feed controls. This programme, operated by the State Veterinary Service, typically takes around 20,000 samples per year from feed mills, on-farm mixers and other premises handling livestock feed. The results of the programme are very encouraging and indicate wide compliance with the feed controls, confirming that prohibited ingredients (from domestic or imported sources) are being effectively removed from the market, distribution channels and farms.
One theoretical issue is that recent cases of BSE in younger animals may have been exposed to infection as a result of cross-contamination (during transhipment) of imported vegetable protein used in the production of animal feedingstuffs with meat and bone meal. We are continuing carefully to investigate such cases, but there is currently no clear evidence that individual animals have been infected by this route.