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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mr. Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the health risks associated with spreading the condensate from the process of rendering cattle carcases on to land. [129649] Mr. Mullin: The Environment Agency commissioned an assessment of the risk from BSE infectivity from the spreading on to agricultural land of condensate from the rendering of cattle slaughtered under the Over-30-months Scheme (OTMS). A copy is being placed in the Library of the House. The assessment concluded that: The concentration of infectivity in condensate from rendering plants processing OTMS material is low, even when that condensate is untreated; Spreading of condensate on farmland is unlikely to represent a risk to people owing to contamination of drinking water with BSE infectivity, or to people being exposed to aerosols of the condensate as a result of the spreading activity; and Cattle grazing on treated land would be extremely unlikely to be exposed to a dose large enough to result in infection with BSE. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) reviewed this assessment and concluded that the risk to human health from the practice was negligible. However, SEAC advised that the practice of spreading rendering condensate on land should be discontinued because of the presence of detectable levels of ruminant protein in samples, which could pose a risk to animal health. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is considering how to take forward the SEAC advice and hopes to consult on proposals shortly.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

354 c43-5W; 129649

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Agriculture Disease control Fertilisers Grazing land BSE Condensates

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk