Written question asked by Alan W Williams (Labour) on Monday, 1 November 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 November 1999. It was answered by Baroness Quin (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 November 1999 on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Question: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what progress has been made towards developing a test for BSE in live animals; and what plans the Government has for implementing such a test.

Answer: Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made towards developing a test for BSE in live animals; and what plans the Government have for implementing such a test. [97227] Ms Quin: There are, as yet, no validated tests for the diagnosis of either BSE or scrapie in live animals. One test, developed in the USA, appears promising with respect to the diagnosis of scrapie in sheep and chronic wasting disease in elk during the pre-clinical stage of infection and while animals are alive. Scientists at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) are collaborating with their American counterparts to introduce this technology to the VLA where it will be evaluated for use to detect scrapie infected sheep. Although BSE in cattle appears to behave quite differently from scrapie in sheep in terms of tissue distribution, attempts will be made to evaluate the potential for the use of this test for BSE in cattle as well. We have no knowledge of any other test that has been proven to have the necessary sensitivity and specificity for use on live animals.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 97227; 337 c667W
Session: 1998-99
Subjects: Animals Cattle Diseases Disease control Research Sheep BSE Scrapie