Volume 3: The Early Years, 1986-88
4. The ruminant feed ban
The extension of the ban

4.32 The ban had been imposed for a period ending on 31 December 1988 in the hope that, by that date, the survey of rendering plants would have disclosed some whose processes could be relied upon to inactivate the BSE agent. These could then be licensed to supply ruminant-derived animal protein for incorporation in ruminant feed. To some people, including the Southwood Working Party, this had always seemed optimistic. ¹ At their meeting on 10 November 1988, the Working Party considered a paper provided by Mr Meldrum which gave details of the result of the rendering survey. ² They concluded that it seemed unlikely that the existing rendering plants could ever be relied upon to produce protein that was safe. On 14 November Sir Richard Southwood wrote to Mr Andrews informing him of this conclusion and making a strong recommendation that the ban should be extended indefinitely. ³ In briefing Mr MacGregor for a meeting with Sir Richard, Mr Cruickshank recommended that the ban should be extended for a further year rather than indefinitely. This would enable discussions to take place with the NPU on the relationship between rendering systems and the thermal sensitivity of the scrapie agent, in the light of which it might prove possible to devise conditions under which ruminant protein could be heat-treated prior to inclusion in ruminant rations. ⁴

4.33 When the Minister met Sir Richard on 24 November and suggested an extension of a further year, Sir Richard was only prepared to accede to this if it was made absolutely clear that the removal of the ban was dependent on the demonstration of a method that was completely safe and would destroy the agent. ⁵ Despite expressions of dismay by UKRA, Mr MacGregor, on 30 November 1988, issued a news release in which he announced the extension of the ruminant feed ban for a further year and made it clear that the prohibition would have to continue thereafter unless processing methods which were sufficient to destroy the causal agent had been identified and were widely available. ⁶ The year's extension to the ban was made on 27 December by the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (No. 2) Order 1988, and came into force on 30 December 1988. ⁷ The pre-condition to lifting the ban was never satisfied and it was extended indefinitely on 31 December 1989 by the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (No. 2) Amendment Order. ⁸