OTM Rule – your questions answered
Monday 18 July 2005
The OTM rule was one of the three main controls that prevented BSE from cattle getting into food. The rule stopped cattle aged over thirty months from entering the food supply. This is because BSE has mostly been found in cattle over thirty months old.
Why change it?
From the time that the OTM rule was introduced in 1996, BSE continued to decline and additional controls brought in have been effective in removing BSE. The new control of testing cattle for BSE before they enter the food chain is also much less costly.
Will the introduction of BSE testing make beef more risky?
The most realistic estimate is that there could be less than one additional vCJD case over the next sixty years. The worst case is that there could be 2.5 additional cases over the next sixty years.
Does that mean meat from cows with BSE gets into food?
There are now very few cows with BSE. Whatever the controls, that risk cannot be completely ruled out. But the risk is very low, because all cattle aged over thirty months will need to be tested for BSE before they can enter the food chain. Any cows that test positive for BSE will be destroyed. The SRM controls will also remove 99% of infectivity that may be present.
How reliable are the estimates of the risk?
Leading UK experts from Imperial College London have produced the risk assessments. Experts from the Government's independent BSE advisory committee, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, have checked this work. The results have been published in a scientific journal and are on the Agency website.
How good are the other controls?
It is estimated that the Specified Risk Material (SRM) controls remove 99% of any BSE that may be present in cattle before they can enter the food chain. There is also a ban on feeding meat-and-bone meal to cattle and this has been effective in halting the spread of BSE in cattle.
How reliable are BSE tests?
The BSE test was rigorously checked before it came into use. No incorrect results were found. More than 40 million cattle have now been tested throughout the European Union since 2001. In the UK, 600,000 cattle were tested for BSE in 2004.
How many cows have BSE?
There have been over 182,000 known cases of BSE so far in the UK. In 1992, there were 37,000 cases. In 2004 there were 90 clinical cases.
How many cases of vCJD have there been?
There have been 150 vCJD cases in the UK to date (as at 1 July 2005).
What is the difference in the costs?
The OTM scheme cost about £360m a year compared to an estimated cost of about £60m a year for BSE testing of older animals. Until it was replaced, the OTM scheme cost more than £3bn.