BSE: Tissue Samples

House of Lords written question – answered at on 8 November 2001.

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Photo of The Duke of Montrose The Duke of Montrose Conservative

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In the research conducted on prions in relation to BSE, how many samples of the "brainpool" were subject to rendering by Prosper de Mulder or some other company.

Photo of Lord Whitty Lord Whitty Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Material from the scrapie and bovine BSE brain pools was subjected to 12 rendering protocols which were in use in the European Union in 1991 and three which were not. The rendering treatments took place at a pilot scale rendering plant owned by Prosper de Mulder Ltd. Samples were tested using mouse panels to determine whether the rendering treatments had inactivated the infective agent. Details of these experiments, including information on the materials and methods used, can be found in the following scientific papers: Taylor, D.M, Woodgate, S.L., and Atkinson, M.J. (1995). Inactivation of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent by rendering procedures. Veterinary Record 137, 605-10. Taylor, D.M, Woodgate, S.L., Fleetwood, A.J and Cawthorne, R.J.G. (1997). Effect of rendering procedures on the scrapie agent. Veterinary Record 141, 643-649.

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