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1715584

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	BSE: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has identified the original source of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	24698
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was first diagnosed in the United Kingdom in 1986. Scientific opinion is that classical BSE was caused by feeding feedstuffs to cattle that were contaminated with a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) agent due to the inclusion of meat and bone meal. Scientific research has not identified any other definite vector of transmission and found no other potential causes, such as exposure to organophosphates. There is no evidence that it ‘spreads’ from animal to animal or between holdings.</p><p> </p><p>As a result of this scientific opinion, a ban on prohibiting the sale, supply and use of feeding stuff incorporating animal protein for feeding to ruminants was put in place in the UK in 1988. Following further scientific advice, in 1996 the ban was extended to prohibit the feeding of mammalian meat and bone meal, or any feeding stuff containing it, to any farmed animals.</p><p> </p><p>From a peak of over 37,000 cases in 1992 in the UK, there have been only 4 cases of the disease confirmed since 2014. This supports the hypothesis that classical BSE is a food-borne disease introduced by the inclusion of animal protein in feed, and that our BSE controls are working. It is still unknown which TSE agent caused the BSE epidemic (e.g. a scrapie agent from sheep or goats or an agent previously unknown in the cattle population that was recycled). Various transmission studies undertaken in GB and other countries failed to reproduce a BSE-like disease with TSE agents isolated from sheep or cattle other than classical BSE.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 08/05/2024 13:19:49 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1715586

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	BSE: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for another potential outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	24699
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The measures to be followed in the event of suspicion of BSE are set out in UK legislation, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (AHPA) are well prepared to carry out the necessary actions. In the rare event that BSE is suspected, whole farm movement restrictions are applied by APHA who then trace cohorts (animals that shared feed with the affected animal during its first year of life) and any of its offspring born in the last two years.</p><p> </p><p>In the event of the suspect case testing positive for BSE, its cohorts and offspring are then humanely culled, samples are taken from the brain stem for testing and the carcases are then destroyed, with the owners of the culled animals receiving compensation. While it not believed that BSE can be transmitted by mother to offspring during pregnancy ('vertical transmission') these animals are culled, along with cohorts, on a precautionary basis.</p><p> </p><p>The APHA also carry out a rolling national feed audit which inspects and takes samples at various stages of the animal feed chain. This includes checks for prohibited processed animal proteins in samples of feeding stuffs intended for farmed animals. If feed is non-compliant, APHA inspectors look at the cause of contamination and make a decision based on the risk. Depending on the severity, feed may have to be removed from the market, and cattle exposed to it may be restricted or killed.</p><p> </p><p>We remain vigilant to the threat posed by BSE and have a comprehensive surveillance programme in place to monitor the level of BSE over time and check on the continued effectiveness of our BSE controls. More detail on this is set out in Defra’s latest TSEs annual report here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monitoring-programme-for-tses-annual-report-2021-and-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monitoring-programme-for-tses-annual-report-2021-and-2022</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 08/05/2024 13:09:23 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1222712

registered interest
date	09/07/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	BSE: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is his policy for England and Wales to be included on the World Organisation for Animal Health's list of countries at negligible risk of BSE at the 2021 General Session.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	71858
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2020 answer text <p>England and Wales have been included on the World Organisation for Animal Health’s list of countries with a controlled BSE risk since 2008. Due to the need to prioritise efforts in gaining access to third country markets, work associated with EU Exit, and in recent months responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic, it has not been possible to develop and submit a dossier for England and Wales to be included on the list of countries at negligible risk prior to the deadline for the 2021 General Session. England and Wales will remain on the list of countries with a controlled BSE risk, and we will consider submitting a dossier in early 2021 to be included on the list of countries at negligible risk of BSE.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 15/07/2020 16:29:43 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake