BSE controls final report, 20 December 2000, section 19, Recommendations
96.For the main controls covered by our review we make the following recommendations.
OTM rule
97.(i)The Meat Hygiene Service should collate centrally details of cattle rejected at abattoirs under the OTM rule (paragraph 42);
(ii)thirty months should remain the age at which controls are most appropriate (paragraph 44);
(iii)January 2002 is the earliest date on which a decision could be taken to announce the year of birth of animals that need not be subject to the rule (paragraph 46); and
(iv)the practicality and sensitivity of tests of animals at slaughter should be considered by SEAC (paragraph 45).
Specified Risk Material
98.Further research should be undertaken (i) to assess the validity of the assertion that the process employed in the production of sausage casings ensures that lymphoid tissue and, with it, any risk of infectivity is removed and (ii) to indicate any risks involved in this use of sheep intestines. The species of animal from which natural casings are derived should be labelled (paragraph 50).
99.The SRM controls should remain in place (paragraph 54).
Feed ban
100. (i) Consideration should be given to a complete ban on intra-species recycling, to include recycling of blood, gelatin and tallow (paragraphs 58, 63 and 66). If this causes serious practical difficulties for particular products, they should be examined on a case by case basis (paragraph 63);
(ii)Consideration should be given to allowing non-feed use of inert tallow derivatives prepared from SRM tallow (paragraphs 65 and 66).
Mechanically recovered meat
101.There is no scope for relaxation of the prohibition on use of ruminant vertebral column in the production of MRM (paragraph 74).
Research
102. Further research should be undertaken in respect of diagnostic tests (paragraph 90) and the areas listed in paragraphs 92 and 98.
Other Matters
103.The issue of private kills should be addressed to ensure that illegally slaughtered meat is not diverted to the food chain (paragraph 69).
104.Relevant discrepancies in cattle passports should be reduced to as close to zero as possible (paragraph 38).
105.We advocate strongly (subject to the caveats in paragraph 27) the speedy introduction of a selective breeding programme for sheep (paragraph 51) and consideration of risk management options and contingency planning against the possibility of BSE in sheep (paragraph 27).