To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in the light of the Tyrell committee's report, he will now introduce random testing for bovine spongiform encephalopathy in all cattle slaughtered for human consumption.
No. The Tyrell committee considered such testing to be of low priority.
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any evidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy being caused other than by ingestion of scrapie-infected foodstuff.
There is no evidence to suggest that BSE infection under field conditions has been caused by any means other than by the ingestion of feedstuffs containing a scrapie-like agent. However, research is in hand on the experimental transmission of BSE by inoculation and orally and to determine whether maternal transmission occurs.
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has asked the Tyrell committee to continue its role of review and co-ordination of work into bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and if he will make a statement on the future of the committee.
The establishment of a small group to provide advice on BSE and the other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies is currently being considered. We hope to make an announcement shortly.
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has reviewed the regulations governing and procedures involved in the rendering of animal waste since the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and whether he proposes to modify either.
| Departments and agencies occupying accommodation at Brook lands avenue, Cambridge | |||
| Department/Agency | Staff in post at 1 January 1990 | Space (square feet) | Accommodation charge2 £ |
| Property Services Agency1 | 365 | 80,517 | 657,018 |
| Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | 302 | 91,643 | 747,803 |
| Her Majesty's Inland Revenue | 244 | 43,397 | 354,121 |
| Ministry of Defence Land Agents | 36 | 6,709 | 54,747 |
| Her Majesty's Customs and Excise | 32 | 6,735 | 54,958 |
| The Crown Suppliers | 15 | 3,139 | 25,612 |
| English Heritage | 13 | 1,871 | 15,266 |
| Department of Transport | 4 | 922 | 7,527 |
| Department of Employment | 4 | 2,489 | 20,307 |
| Department of Energy | 3 | 687 | 5,604 |
| Ordnance Survey | 3 | 1,061 | 8,660 |
| Soil Science Survey | 3 | 790 | 6,447 |
| Department of Health | 2 | 1,338 | 10,918 |
| Rural Development Commission | 2 | 1,883 | 15,362 |
| Department of Social Security | 1 | 3,611 | 29,468 |
| Lord Chancellor's Department (storage only) | — | 1,076 | 8,783 |
| TOTAL | 1,029 | 247,868 | 2,022,601 |
Feeding ruminant-derived protein to ruminant animals has been prohibited since 18 July 1988. The time and temperature combinations necessary to inactivate the BSE agent with certainty have not yet been identified. It would therefore be inappropriate at this stage to consider modifying the existing regulations controlling rendering practices.
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) on 29 November 1989, Official Report, column 307, if he will give the number of cases of cows having been certified as contracting bovine spongiform encephalopathy in 1989 up to the end of December.
[holding answer 22 January 1990]: In 1989, 6,853 cases of BSE were confirmed in Great Britain.
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who receives compensation if a bovine spongiform encephalopathy infected animal is found in (a) a livestock market or (b) a slaughterhouse; and if he will make a statement.
[holding answer 22 January 1990]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 18 January Official Report, column 409.