Volume 3: The Early Years, 1986-88
6. Notification of the ruminant feed ban to other countries
Correspondence with the OIE and WHO

6.46 On 11 August 1989 Mr Meldrum wrote to the Director-General of the OIE, Dr Blajan, ¹ enclosing a copy of the Southwood Report together with copies of articles by Mr Wilesmith, a paper presented by Mr Bradley of the CVL to the British Veterinary Association Congress in September 1988, ² and the article by Mr Wells of the CVL in the Veterinary Record of 31 October, 1987. ³ Mr Meldrum mentioned that Dr Blajan had said he was considering calling a meeting to discuss BSE, and confirmed that MAFF 'would be happy to field a team to discuss all aspects of the disease, its control, epidemiology and all the associated research and development that we have in hand and propose for the future'.

6.47 Dr Blajan replied on 29 August. ⁴ He said that the documents Mr Meldrum had provided allowed him to 'fulfil the request for information I had received from the Delegates of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia on this matter'. Dr Blajan also noted that BSE would be included on the agendas for the next meetings of both the International Animal Health Code and the Foot and Mouth Disease and Other Epizootics Commissions.

6.48 In August 1989 the World Health Organisation (WHO) was preparing a review and update on BSE. Dr K de Balogh (Associate Professional Officer of Veterinary Public Health in the WHO Division of Communicable Diseases) drafted a paper for publication in the 'WHO Weekly Epidemiological Review' and the Information Circular of the Mediterranean Zoonoses Control Programme. ⁵ The following was included in the paper: 'As a precaution against possible transmission of spongiform encephalopathy in animal protein, the carcasses of animals infected with BSE are now condemned and the inclusion of meat and bone meal from a ruminant source in the diet of animals has recently been banned.' The article was not published in the Information Circular until April 1990. ⁶ Mr Meldrum has commented that 'the very fact that it was being prepared in 1989 further indicates the level of international awareness of BSE and the UK control measures during the period prior to February 1990'. ⁷

6.49 A note of a meeting held on 3 November 1989 between the Permanent Secretaries of DH and MAFF includes the following:

MAFF confirmed that countries continuing to import UK ruminant protein were aware of the BSE position and used such material only for pig and poultry feed (a practice recognised as safe by the Southwood Report). ⁸