Volume 4: The Southwood Working Party, 1988-89
1. Introduction to Southwood
Terms of reference

1.5 On 21 March 1988 Sir Donald Acheson, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO),put a submission forward to the Minister of Health, Mr Antony Newton (now Lord Newton), to tell him of the emergence of BSE and its possible implications for human health, and to recommend the setting up of an expert group to advise 'whether or not there is a risk to man and, if so, what preventative action should be taken'. Sir Donald drew attention to the public relations aspect of such action and suggested:

One approach which would play down the human health issue would be for the group to be set up jointly by MAFF and DHSS, with strong public health input. ¹

1.6 This suggestion was supported by Mr (now Sir) Derek Andrews, the MAFF Permanent Secretary, who commented two days later in a minute to Mr Alistair Cruickshank (Head of the Animal Health Group at MAFF) that since the CMO's advice was that there was unlikely to be a health risk it might be best to have a joint working party 'so as to avoid the implication that our sole preoccupation was the health risk'. ² On the same day the CMO sent Mr Andrews a copy of his submission to Health Ministers and said that it had been approved by them. They favoured'a low-key announcement by MAFF, in view of the fact that it is important that the public should not be given a false impression that a health risk in man is likely'. ³ The suggested terms of reference for the expert group were:

To consider the cause, nature and means of spread of the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy including its potential implications (if any) for human health and to make recommendations. ⁴

1.7 The suggested terms of reference did not find favour with officials in MAFF's Animal Health Division, who feared that any necessary actions which they might wish to take might be unduly delayed if they had to await the outcome of the Working Party. In a minute to Mr Andrews, Mr Alan Lawrence of MAFF's Animal Health Division recommended a DH group with a restricted public health remit to which MAFF might provide advice and expertise when required. ⁵

1.8 Mr Andrews did not share this view, and advised Mr John MacGregor, the MAFF Minister at the time, to agree to a small group of experts being invited to advise on both the animal and human health aspects of BSE. ⁶ This advice was accepted and in due course, after discussion with Sir Richard Southwood, who was anxious that his terms of reference should be drawn as widely as possible, these were agreed to be:

To advise on the implications of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and matters relating thereto. ⁷