Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Research Programme (M03)

Because of the possible risk to human health of eating BSE-infected meat, controls are in place on meat sold for human consumption in the UK.

The Food Standards Agency has primary responsibility for the protection of public health from TSE hazards arising from meat produced for human consumption and the output from the proposed research programme aims to:

• Ensure the controls are based on the latest scientific knowledge.
• Ensure the controls are effectively enforced.
• Provide up-to-date information on TSE issues.
• Ensure EU controls are applied to imported meat.

Food safety is a major UK Government objective, which includes the safety of meat with regard to TSEs. The Food Standards Agency working with stakeholders, the European Commission, other Government departments and also taking account of advice provided by the independent Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC), aims to ensure meat safety and consumer protection through the application of risk based, proportionate legislation, strict enforcement of controls, funding of research and publication of information.

The Food Standards Agency have undertaken a review of the BSE controls and in doing so have identified key gaps in knowledge where further research is needed to meet their policy objectives. This research programme aims to implement the review of controls and objectives, and other more recently identified research recommendations which fall into the following areas.

Tests and screening

• There is a need for a diagnostic test to enable the mass screening of sheep and other food animals for BSE. The ability of tests to distinguish between TSEs, particularly BSE in sheep and scrapie in sheep, their application to a variety of tissues and to both live and slaughtered animals is desirable.

Confirming the basis for the current food safety controls

• Further information is needed on the presence of abnormal prion protein and the relative infectivity of edible tissues and products (milk and cheese) from BSE infected cattle, sheep and goats.
• Information on the susceptibility of these animal species to infection with age and the effect of abnormal conditions on this susceptibility are required.
• Information is also needed on the transmissibility of BSE to other food animal species, eg pigs, poultry, deer and fish.
• Studies are required to establish the routes of animal products into the food chain, the effects of processing on infectivity and the consumption pattern of food animal products.
• Information is also required to quantify the risk of current stunning, slaughter and dressing techniques in contaminating edible tissues with Specified Risk Material (SRM) and the development of alternative methods and/or working practices.
• The output from the above studies will provide information for risk-based analysis to assess the risk to the consumer from TSEs entering the food chain from food animal species and their environment, and the effect of any proposed risk reduction measures.

Enabling the current food safety controls to be enforced

• Methods to detect Specified Risk Material in food products are required. Current methods can only detect gross contamination and the planned research will aim to develop 'fit for purpose' methods.

SEAC recommendations

• Historic studies looking at the major routes of BSE infectivity into the food chain are required to help assess human exposure and epidemiological studies. These will encompass historic butchery practices concerning the treatment of brain and the production, incorporation into food and consumption data for mechanically recovered meat (MRM).

Currently the area of BSE is still surrounded by uncertainty and there are large information gaps as highlighted by the risk analysis projects currently being undertaken. The research programme aims to provide information to improve the knowledge base in the key gaps.

The Agency is a member of the UK, TSE R&D Joint Funders Co-ordination Group and while other members of the group may undertake studies in some of the areas described above, they address different objectives. The work described above, together with the research priorities of other funders, allows the Agency to maximise its output and value for money by either collaborating or dovetailing the research with existing programmes of work put in place by the other funders. The EU also funds a programme of TSE research and the Agency seeks to collaborate with European partners where possible.

The research requirements have been identified from:

• the review of BSE controls undertaken by the Agency in 2000 (see www.food.gov.uk/bse/what/about/)
• the TSE Research Seminar held by the Agency November 2001 (see below)
• recommendations made by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) (see www.seac.gov.uk/)

At the conclusion of the programme it is the aim that the Agency can implement TSE controls that will be based on sound scientific evidence with less uncertainty, be enforceable and provide all consumer groups protection from high risk situations and information to enable choice for low risk and scientifically unproven situations. The information will benefit consumers and industry throughout Europe and globally by enabling controls to be effectively targeted.

Name: Dr Stephen Dixon
Tel: 020 7276 8342
Email: stephen.dixon@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk