Written question asked by Matthew Offord (Conservative) on Tuesday, 12 December 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 14 December 2023. It was answered by Mark Spencer (Conservative) on Monday, 18 December 2023 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Agriculture: Transmissible Encephalopathies

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to dis-apply Regulation (EU) No 2017/893.

Answer: Defra has no current plans to disapply Regulation (EU) No 2017/893 which amended our feed controls to reflect the increased scientific understanding of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and its current rare incidence. Among other things, it provides a wider choice of feed for certain species of livestock and eases previous restrictions on exports of ruminant protein. The changes within this legislation were based on a robust risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority.

Secondary information