Volume 9: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Part 2: Scotland
10.
Chronological account of specific Scottish issues
Ruminant feed ban
10.12 On 24 May 1988 MAFF informed DAFS of its proposal to hold discussions with the feedstuffs industry about the withdrawal of meat and bone meal (MBM) from ruminant feed, and that MAFF's Legal Division had been asked to prepare an Order for the introduction of a ruminant feed ban and to make BSE a notifiable disease. 1 Mr Thomson told the Inquiry that DAFS was happy to concur with the MAFF proposals: in Scotland at that time less compound feed was used because of the preponderance of beef herds over dairy herds. 2
10.13 DAFS representatives attended a meeting with industry representatives on 1 June 1988, which was chaired by MAFF. There were no independent consultations with Scottish industry members.
10.14 The BSE Order to require notification of the disease from 21 June, and to impose a ruminant feed ban from 18 July (see Annex), was submitted on 8 June 1988 to Scottish and Welsh Ministers as well as the MAFF Minister for signature. The Order itself and subsequent amendments were made under the Animal Health Act 1981. Since this applied to Great Britain as a whole, no separate Orders were required for Scotland. In Mr Thomson's view, there were no significant differences in the way in which the ruminant feed ban was dealt with in Scotland. Mr Scudamore told the Inquiry: 'I think we dealt with it in the same way as it would have been dealt with in England, that is by publicity, information, informing renderers, farmers and all the feedmill people in between.' 3
10.15 Mr Thomson said in oral evidence that at the time he felt the period of grace for the introduction of the feed ban was appropriate, since it was necessary to give farmers time to find an alternative source of feed. In addition, he was of the view that 'if an animal has been fed on this stuff all its life, a matter of a few weeks would hardly tip it over the edge'. He assumed that MAFF had taken veterinary advice in allowing the period of grace. 4 He said he could not recall the issue of enforcement being specifically addressed by his Department. 5 Dr Andrew Matheson, Assistant Secretary at DAFS from 1994, told the Inquiry:
My discussions with SVS colleagues persuaded me that they were fully seized of the importance of enforcing the ban rigorously. 6
1 YB88/5.24/1.1-1.2. For a detailed discussion of the introduction of the ruminant feed ban, see vol. 3: The Early Years, 1986-88 and vol. 5: Animal Health, 1989-96
2 T77 pp. 66-7. Dairy herds tended to be fed greater amounts of compound feed, or protein-rich concentrates, than beef herds, in order to increase milk yields - see vol. 12: Livestock Farming
3 T80 p. 109
4 T77 p. 72
5 S267A Thomson para. 10
6 S264A Matheson para. 1
© Crown Copyright 2000. Legal notice.
Any part of this report may be reproduced subject to acknowledgement.