New BSE fears raised in UK
A study by the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Scientists said that cattle aged over 30 months, a small proportion of which were infected with BSE, were being killed at abattoirs where meat was being prepared for human consumption. Though EU rules prohibit the two activities on the same day, the report said the potential existed for prions to survive the sterilisation methods used, and for the following day’s slaughter to be contaminated.
An as-yet unverified American study suggested that some prions might remain active after heating to 159F. The Royal Society Report said more than 430,000 tons of meat and bonemeal, possibly contaminated with BSE, and a further 200,000 tons of tallow were being stored until they could be safely destroyed. It also highlighted how, fifteen years after BSE was first identified, quick, effective and reliable tests for the disease were long overdue.
Speaking at the launch of the report in London last week, Brian Heap, vice-president of the Royal Society and chairman of the working party that prepared the report said he believed the authorities should consider eliminating slaughterhouse waste with meat-eating bacteria, or through the use of airless incineration at 290F.
Sir John Krebs, chairman of the Food Standards Agency, said it would examine the risks described in the report, but there were only eight dual-use abattoirs in the UK out of a total of 394.
