Question
What research his Department has undertaken into the effect of organophosphate warble fly dressing on cattle.
Answer
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has undertaken into the effect of organophosphate warble fly dressing on cattle. [461] Mrs. Browning: All veterinary medicines, including warble fly treatments, are assessed against statutory criteria of safety, quality and efficacy, including the safety of the target animal concerned. The Government are advised on this by the independent scientific veterinary products committee. Manufacturers are required to produce their research as part of the authorisation process for their products and my Department does not undertake nor fund any such research. The use of organophosphorus compounds as insecticides, particularly during the campaign to eradicate warble fly, has been claimed either to cause BSE or to render cows susceptible to BSE. The original epidemiological investigation considered any possible association between the use of agricultural chemicals, including OP insecticides, and the occurrence of BSE. None was found. The only positive correlation found was in relation to the use of animal feed which contained ruminant protein in the form of meat and bone meal. MAFF has not undertaken any research on the suggested link between BSE and organophosphates. The independent Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee has considered the OP theory and concluded that it fails to explain a number of key facts about BSE. It, too, has concluded that there is no justification to extend the current transmissible spongiform encephalopathies research to include the OP theory. A study was carried out by the toxicology unit of the Medical Research Council to test whether an OP could bind to "normal" prion protein--an essential prerequisite for the development of BSE, according to the OP theory. The scientists conducting the experiment concluded that there was no evidence of binding. This experiment was conducted by the MCR with its own funds and although MAFF was informed we had no part in its design.