Vol. 474 No. 4
14 Mr. H. Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the number of positive samples of meat and bone meal which have been found by his Department in 1996 and to date in 1997 as a result of investigations following the rise in BSE cases. [3209/97]
Extensive sampling has been carried out by my Department at feed manufacturer level to detect inclusion in or contamination of animal feed by mammalian meat and bone meal. The microscopy test used by my Department has identified either avian or mammalian bone in 76 samples since the beginning of 1996 and 39 of these cases are being investigated further. In view of the control difficulties being encountered and the difficulties distinguishing between mammalian and poultry bones, I propose to introduce licensing arrangements governing the incorporation of poultry offal into feedstuffs for animals and bringing this offal on to premises producing such feedstuffs.
I find it difficult to believe that the Minister cannot distinguish between a quail bone and cow bone. What system is in place to monitor meat and bone meal in the milling plants? How extensive is the system? Does it involve random sampling?
Although it may be peculiar, it is a fact that laboratory analysis cannot differentiate between a fragment of a chicken bone and a fragments of sheep or cattle bones. That is the information available to me. The inspections are carried out by the cereal inspectorate and 31 inspectors are involved from time to time. In so far as the avian meat and bone meal is concerned, the line I have taken is to have dedicated white meat plants separate from ruminant feed. I am disappointed by the delays and the lack of awareness of the farming and consumer concerns displayed by the feed and compounding industry. I will not hesitate to revoke licences where cross contamination is found. I am determined that everyone buying feedstuffs will have the maximum disclosure of feed ingredients. I have secured agreement that there will be a breakdown by alphabetical order. The new national beef safety assurance scheme will involve statutory and non-statutory provisions with regard to registration and I will seek to go further than that.
Does the Minister agree that avian meat and bone meal can be used in animal feeds? He has indicated that the Department and the scientists are not sure of the difference between avian and mammalian elements. How can the Minister be sure of the contents of the meal?
The arrangements I introduced last year mean that each element of the meat and bone meal process — the rendering of offal into meal, the supply, distribution and feeding of it — is regulated separately. When we carry out a test and find tiny traces of meat and bone meal, as happened in the 76 samples, we look at the licensing stocks arrangement. While it is true that there is a technical control analysis difficulty in differentiating between two elements, we can determine whether the stocks are due to cross contamination or whether avian meat and bone meal is being fed.
I am not convinced.
The best scientific information available to me is that the transmission of BSE is through the infected prion being in meat and bonemeal. We will ensure that any form of meat and bonemeal — poultry or mammalian — cannot be used for feeding. However, there is not a scintilla of scientific information to suggest that feeding poultry or avian meat and bonemeal to bovine animals represents any danger to human or animal health and in other members states it is perfectly legal. There is no Community law to debar poultry meat and bonemeal from being fed to ruminants. I am going further than that science. In case I am accused of not being frank in giving information to the House, I intend, within a matter of days, to make some radical decisions in regard to meat and bonemeal which I will announce shortly.
The Minister told us that he cannot distinguish between the two types of meat and bonemeal. How can he allow meat and bonemeal to be used in animal feeds since by his own admission he is not sure? If his previous orders in regard to this were so successful, and he boasted about them last year, why was it necessary to introduce orders last week?
I am satisfied the transmission of the prion has effectively stopped because of the controls on meat and bonemeal. I do not know the residual level of infection in the herd because it takes three to eight years for the infection to develop in a bovine animal and these regulations were put in place only in recent years. This is a matter of the utmost consumer confidence and I hope the Deputy will not do anything that would damage confidence.
Indeed not. The Minister needs no help in that field.
There is no basis for believing that mammalian meat and bonemeal is being fed. We are going a step further. From an analytical point of view we will remove poultry meat and bonemeal, which is a small quantity of the overall 100,000 tonnes of mammalian meat and bonemeal. We are moving ahead of other member states and the requirements of the Commission or the SVC in that regard.
The Minister has blamed just about everyone.
Question No. 15 is Deputy M. J. Nolan's question and as we have passed our allocated time for priority questions we will deal with this in the category of other questions.
