Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

EDM number 517 in 1989-90, proposed by Ron Davies on 12/02/1990.

That this House notes with concern the escalation in confirmed cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and endorses the calls from the British Veterinary Association, the National Farmers' Union, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Country Landowners' Association and others for an increase in compensation payable on affected cattle to 100 per cent.; notes the acknowledgement by the honourable Member for Penrith and the Border that infected cattle are getting into the foodchain; and calls for the extension of the offal ban to calves of less than six months of age, the introduction of random sampling of the brains of slaughtered cattle, as recommended by the Tyrrell Committee, to determine the extent of sub-clinical infection and detect the earliest signs of vertical transmission, the implementation of the EC requirement for compulsory veterinary ante-mortem inspection of cattle, the prohibition of the feeding of ruminant-derived meat and bonemeal to all farm livestock and the termination of the irresponsible practice of exporting infected meat and bonemeal for consumption by livestock abroad.

This motion has been signed by a total of 57 MPs.