''Further BSE restrictions may be necessary'' scientific committee tells Commission
The scientific steering committee (SSC) responsible for advising the European Commission on a variety of scientific issues says some further restrictions on the use of bovine tissues could be necessary 'whenever the risk management measures in place do not ensure that the presence of BSE is highly unlikely'. It made the claim in its responses to a number of questions relating to BSE and safety, raised by EU Agriculture Ministers at a Council meeting on 4 December. According to the SSC, mechanically recovered meat that is scraped from bovine bones should be considered a risk material, if obtained from the skull and vertebral bones of animals more than 12 months old. In addition, the scienitists advise that as well as using current purification processes to filter proteins, fats derived form cattle tissues should be subject to pressure cooking to minimise potential infection from BSE when it used in animal feed. The scientists also reconfirmed that hydrolysed proteins from bovine hides and other tissues that are not specified risk materials are safe, provided appropriate production and sourcing processes are used. The SSC reports that cattle 'born before the effective implementation of the total meat and bone meal ban, or animals born while a total meat and bone meal ban is not properly implemented, are likely to pose a higher risk, which could justify further restrictions on the use of animal tissues.' The European Commission has welcomed the advice and says it plans to respond to the range of measures suggested by the SSC in the near future.