Volume 3: The Early Years, 1986-88
6.
Notification of the ruminant feed ban to other countries
The International Roundtable on BSE, June 1989
6.43 On 27 and 28 June 1989, the International Roundtable on BSE met at the National Institutes of Health in the US and considered the Southwood Report. 1 In its report the International Roundtable concluded that: (a) 'Comprehensive epidemiological studies support the hypothesis that the disease is associated with the transfer of the scrapie agent to cattle with animal tissue-derived protein derived supplements in the food'; and (b) 'The potential for a similar outbreak exists in any country in which sheep have scrapie and where animal feed may become contaminated through the use of animal carcass-derived meat and bone meal supplements'. 2
6.44 On 29 August 1989 Mr Meldrum sent a minute to Dr Watson about the summaries prepared for the report of the Roundtable meeting. He commented that 'it would be wise to move to an international ban on the feeding of ruminant protein to ruminants'. 3 The minute reflects MAFF's position at the time on use of MBM in the EU, and that it was 'seeking a Community-wide ban on all feeding of ruminant based material to ruminants.' 4
1 This has been described in Section K of the statement of information provided to the Inquiry by Sir Richard Southwood, Sir Anthony Epstein, Dr William Martin and Lord Walton (S483) and in the witness statement of Mr Wilesmith (S91A para. 89)
2 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, vol. 196, No. 10, 15 May 1990, p. 1686
3 YB89/8.29/3.1
4 S184A Meldrum Section E paras 6-13; S184E Meldrum Section I para. 15
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