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BSE-infected Material (Land Burial)
Mr. Meacher:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regulations cover the land burial of (a) BSE-infected carcases and (b) BSE-infected rendered meat and bonemeal, or material suspected to the BSE-infected; what inspections measures are in place to ensure compliance with the regulations; and if he will make a statement. [20770]
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Mrs. Browning
[holding answer 18 March 1997]: The Animal By-Products Order 1992 (SI 1992/3303), which implements the EC animal waste directive 90/667 in Great Britain, requires animal waster to be rendered, incinerated or buried. It has been the Ministry's practice to use incineration whenever feasible for the disposal of cattle displaying clinical signs suggestive of BSE.
The landfilling of controlled waste is subject to the waste management licensing provisions of part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. The Environment Agency is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the licensing system. Amongst other matters, licences issued by the Environment Agency specify the types and quantities of waste which may be disposed of in each site. Landfill site operators are also subject to the duty of care provisions in Section 34 of the 1990 Act and the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991.
The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee has considered the current and proposed methods of dealing with waste material from the slaughter of cattle and concluded that these are safe. A news release reporting its conclusions was issued by MAFF on 7 June 1996 and a copy is available in the Library of the House of the relevant regulations in the period 1985 to date.
Dr. Wright:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) have a statutory base, (b) publish their advice to Government, (c) publish an annual report and (d) lay an annual report before Parliament; and if he will indicate in each instance whether this is under a statutory requirement; [21687]
(3) if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required to (a) consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) publish their response to advice from; [21730]
(4) which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; if he will list those bodies which (a) admit members of the public to all board and committee meetings and (b) hold open meetings for the public; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [21449]
Mr. Boswell:
I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
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Mr. Dobson:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the non-elected bodies responsible to his Department which are responsible for providing advice or services in London, indicating in each case the (i) overall budget and (ii) estimated running costs for each year from 1996-97 to 1999-2000. [21375]
Mr. Boswell:
I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 17 March, Official Report, column 379, regarding avoparcin's use as a feed antibiotic, if he will list by livestock species all dates prior to 1 April on which the licence for avoparcin's use as a feed antibiotic has been (a) revoked and (b) reinstated since it was first licensed in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [21511]
Mrs. Browning:
No licence for the use of avoparcin in animal feedingstuffs has been revoked prior to 1 April 1997.
Mr. Benton:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the stockpiling of brown granular dust from remains of slaughtered cattle in Bootle; what assessment he has made of (a) the dangers to the public health posed by this substance and (b) the conditions of its storage; and if he will make a statement. [21419]
Mrs. Browning:
Meat and bone meal arising from the rendering of cattle carcases under the over-30-months scheme is being stored at five sites in England pending destruction by the best practicable environmental option. Only healthy cattle can be purchased under the scheme and EC regulation 716/96, under which the scheme operates, expressly prohibits the purchase of cattle affected with or suspected of being affected with BSE. These are destroyed under separate arrangements.
The Government are actively pursuing a number of options for the disposal of meat and bone meal arising from the OTMS. The Intervention Board recently agreed a contract with a high temperature incineration company, Rechem, to burn MBM at its Fawley plant, and has an exercise under way for further incineration facilities from which additional MBM disposal capacity is expected to emerge. Also combustion trials have been carried out at PowerGen's test facilities at Ratcliffe on Soar, Nottinghamshire, and at National Power's test facilities at Didcot, Oxfordshire, to establish the feasibility of burning MBM in power stations. These trials have been monitored by the Environment Agency and the results will be placed on the public register. The test results are being fully evaluated, and full weight will be given to the protection of human health and of the environment before any decisions are reached.
The independent Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, which advises Ministers on BSE, has concluded that there was no epidemiological evidence to suggest that the handling of MBM presented a risk to any of those engaged in the related trades. The Advisory
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Committee on Dangerous Pathogens has also considered the health risks associated with the handling of MBM and has issued generic guidance for all occupational groups, including those involved in storage. The Intervention Board executive agency, which has executive responsibility for the day to day running of the scheme, has drawn the guidelines to the attention of storekeepers storing MBM.
The storage of this material as waste is subject to the requirements of part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, as amended. With these requirements in view, IBEA ensures that all potential storage sites meet rigorous technical criteria before they are considered suitable for dry storage and are well managed to keep them free of rodents, insect infestation or excessive odour. Where odour problems have arisen, the IBEA has engaged the services of leading experts in odour suppression technology for advice.
Sir Michael Spicer:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to publish the results of his inquiry into the possible relationship between TB in badgers and TB in cattle.[21508]
Mrs. Browning:
I expect the results to be published later this year.
Dr. Strang:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many people employed or under contract with the national Meat Hygiene Service as (a) official veterinary surgeons, (b) meat inspectors and (c) other officers have been disciplined for failure to enforce hygiene legislation, for each year from 1995;[21678]
Mr. Douglas Hogg:
The subjects of these questions are the responsibility of the Meat Hygiene Service and I have asked the chief executive to reply to you direct.
Letter from Johnston McNeill to Dr. Gavin Strang, dated 21 March 1997:
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(2) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [21684]
(2) what length of training has been required for (a) official veterinary surgeons, (b) meat inspectors and (c) other posts that are currently within or under contract with the national Meat Hygiene Service in each year since 1985. [21680]
As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) your Parliamentary Questions to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries enquiring how many people employed or under contract with the National Meat Hygiene Service as (a) Official Veterinary Surgeons, (b) meat inspectors and (c) other officers have been disciplined for failure to enforce hygiene legislation, for each year since 1995, and what length of training has been required for (a) Official Veterinary Surgeons, (b) meat inspectors and (c) other posts that are currently within or under contract with the National Meat Hygiene Service in each year since 1985, have been passed to me for reply. [24678] [21680]
No employed or contract MHS staff were disciplined for failure to enforce hygiene legislation in 1995/96. 7 employed Meat Hygiene Inspectors are currently facing internal disciplinary investigation into alleged failure to enforce hygiene legislation. 6 of these are on precautionary paid suspension.
As you are aware the MHS was launched on 1 April 1995. The MHS requires Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs) to be qualified veterinary surgeons, members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and to have gained OVS accreditation following attendance at an OVS training course. The OVS training course consists of one weeks college based training together with a practical input prior or post course attendance. Accreditation is approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
All Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHIs) employed by the MHS must be qualified by gaining, through examination, the Certificate in Meat Inspection approved by the Royal Society of Health for England and Wales, and the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland for Scotland. The traditional route to acquisition of the certificate in meat inspection is on a day release basis over a two year period with a requirement of at least 200 hours practical experience for red meat and a further minimum of 120 hours for white meat. The Meat Hygiene Service has sponsored the training of Meat Hygiene Inspectors in accordance with the Royal Society of Health and the Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland requirements of typically 22 weeks of intense full time combined theoretical and practical training, the latter arranged in meat plants.
Prior to the actual launch of the Agency, the MHS provided weekend induction and operational training for all groups of staff. Post launch numerous training courses have been delivered to veterinary and meat inspection staff on operational issues including animal welfare, hygiene assessment and Specified Bovine Material (SBM) controls.
For other (mainly non operation) posts job specific training has been provided according to individual requirements.
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