BSE and sheep contingency options stakeholder workshop - 16 June 2005

Monday 23 May 2005

In December 2004 the Board of the Food Standards Agency began a review of the approach the Agency would take in the event of finding BSE in the present day UK sheep flock.

In deciding the way forward the FSA would like to invite stakeholders to contribute to the review of the options available.

A copy of the Board discussion paper on the topic, setting out the various options under consideration, is attached for information.

The Board’s aim is to ensure that the BSE controls are based on latest scientific knowledge and that any response to the discovery of BSE in sheep is proportionate.

Stakeholders will be able to contribute to the consideration of options through two mechanisms:

• At a workshop
• Through written submissions

Objectives of the workshop

The objectives of the workshop are:

• To review the 4 options under consideration
• To assess the advantages, disadvantages and proportionality of the options from the perspective of different stakeholders
• To allow stakeholders to understand each others perspectives
• To assess whether there may be a consensus across stakeholders to narrow the range of options under consideration

Participants will be drawn from across all stakeholder groups.

The workshop will be hosted by Alan Harvey, head of the FSA’s division responsible for BSE policy. It will include presentations on risk assessment, potential economic impact and the practicality of the various options under consideration to help inform stakeholders and aid subsequent discussion.

The workshop is being arranged for 16 June (probably 10am to 4 pm) and will be held in the Agency’s offices in Kingsway in Central London.

It is not intended to discuss BSE and goats at this workshop. Following the finding of BSE in a French goat in January, the EC has stepped up testing across Europe to show if the French case is an isolated one. EFSA has been asked for a risk assessment to be prepared for mid summer and it would be premature to discuss the issue further until the result of this is available.

If your organisation would like to participate in the workshop, could you please complete and return the attached expression of interest form to the address indicated. Depending on the level of interest shown, numbers may have to be restricted. If this is the case, places will be allocated so as to maintain a balance of stakeholder interests represented.

If you are unable to attend or are not allocated a place, but would still like to contribute, we would welcome your written comments and these will be fed into the workshop discussions. It would be helpful to have your written contributions by 10 June.

Could you please return your completed forms by Tuesday 31 May. We will let you know as soon as possible after this date whether or not you have been allocated a place at the Workshop.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

Chris Walding
TSE Division