Volume 3: The Early Years, 1986-88
4. The ruminant feed ban
The meeting with the industry

4.15 Mr Meldrum's first act on taking office as CVO was to chair a meeting on 1 June with representatives from UKRA, UKASTA, GAFTA, FAC, the NFU, and other representative bodies and MAFF officials. He explained that 515 cases of BSE had now been confirmed on 423 farms and that this probably understated the true position. There was strong circumstantial evidence to link BSE with the use of animal feed. Visits to 11 rendering plants had indicated that their processes would not involve sufficient heat to destroy the scrapie agent.

4.16 At the meeting Mr Cruickshank explained that an Order would be made covering Great Britain which would suspend the use in ruminant feeds of animal protein containing material from ruminants, and the sale of such protein for this purpose, until the end of the year. This would also apply to imports. During this period all renderers would be checked to see if any of them produced material which was 'safe'. Mr Meldrum added that it would still be lawful to feed all animal proteins to pigs, poultry and horses, and to maintain exports. UKRA indicated that there was a danger that the industry would not use animal protein in any feeds once it was prohibited in ruminant feed and that the pet food industry would stop using animal protein. Mr Meldrum said that MAFF would seek to persuade those concerned that the ban need have no consequences for pig, poultry and pet food. UKASTA raised the question of stocks of the prohibited feedstuffs held by its members, to which Mr Meldrum replied that there would be a 21-day lead-in period after the Order was made during which these could be used. ¹

4.17 On the same day Mr Meldrum chaired a meeting with representatives of the cattle and dairy industries to inform them of the proposed ban. At both meetings there was also discussion of the introduction of a requirement of notification of BSE cases and of the possibility of compulsory slaughter of these, matters which we deal with in Chapter 5. ²

4.18 In a news release of 1 June MAFF, together with the Scottish and Welsh Agricultural Departments, announced that the feeding to ruminants of rations containing animal protein would be suspended until 31 December 1988. ³

4.19 On 3 June UKASTA sent its members 'Feed Circular 412', which informed them of the ban and stated that:

Animal protein is defined as any protein material which is derived from the carcass of a mammal (both ruminant and pigs). ⁴

4.20 The circular said that enforcement would be undertaken by local authorities and added:

On the use of existing stocks, MAFF hoped that the 21-day period during which the legislation is before Parliament will provide the feed industry with sufficient time to clear stocks (if this is not likely to be the case, could you please let us know as soon as possible with the reasons why). ⁵

4.21 This was followed on the same day by 'Feed Circular 413' which stated that, after representations from the industry, the definition of animal protein had been revised to mean 'any protein which is derived from the carcass of a ruminating animal'. ⁶

4.22 This sequence of events is something of a mystery, which witnesses from UKASTA were unable to resolve. We are satisfied that it had, from at least 24 May, been the intention of all at MAFF involved in formulating the feed ban that it should be restricted to a ban on ruminant protein.

4.23 On 7 June Mr Andrews received a letter from BOCM Silcock, a major animal feed manufacturer, expressing support for the ruminant feed ban and stating that they had already reformulated their ruminant diets. ⁷ They had, however, 5,000 tons of finished product in stock, of which 2,000 tons would remain by the end of June. In these circumstances they asked for the regulations to permit finished stocks to be consumed until the end of July. On receipt this letter was circulated within the Animal Health Division at MAFF. At the same time this company wrote to all feed merchants drawing attention to the obligation to ensure that finished products in store were sold and used on farm by the time the ban came into operation. ⁸