A public inquiry into all aspects of the BSE crisis is underway in London.

Scientists, civil servants, politicians, farmers and families of victims of the new human variant of the disease, CJD, will give evidence.

BBC Environment Correspondent Richard Wilson explains (1'56")

Among those due to give evidence to Lord Justice Phillips is the father of a vegetarian woman who is seriously ill from new variant CJD.

The UK Government announced a suspected link between BSE and new variant CJD in 1996.

Clare Tomkins: a long-term vegetarian is gravely ill with nv CJD

Roger Tomkins will tell the inquiry that his daughter, Clare, stopped eating meat 12 years before she was diagnosed as suffering from nv CJD.

New variant CJD had killed 23 Britons by the end of January 1998.

Relatives of the victims were among those who signed an open letter demanding a public inquiry into BSE.

Lord Justice Phillips is charged with determining when BSE first struck Britain's farms and whether the previous Conservative Government handled the crisis appropriately.

Inquiry to cost £2m

The British Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Health are making the opening statements.

More than 500 public submissions are already in the hands of the inquiry team.

Roger Tomkins: one of the witnesses to speak at the inquiry

They have been given access to Government departments where they have examined thousands of documents concerning BSE.

In the first months of the inquiry, politicians, scientists, civil servants and farmers will appear before Lord Justice Phillips, as well as the families of the victims of CJD.

Lord Justice Phillips then plans to take a break to consider the evidence before giving those criticised a chance to respond to accusations.

The inquiry's findings were originally expected to be submitted to ministers by the end of 1998, but Lord Justice Phillips now says he will ask for an extra six months to consider the evidence.

Tony Blair's official spokesman said the Government would have no difficulty in agreeing to an extension.

The cost of the BSE investigation is estimated to be more than £2m and will be met by the taxpayer.

The BSE inquiry said it will post evidence given to it on the Internet as the hearings progress.

After the first formal identification of BSE in cattle at the end of 1986, the government waited a decade before advising eating beef from infected cows could lead to CJD.

Richard Wilson hears from the one of the victim's families about their experiences (3'50")

In 1988, it ordered the slaughter of all cows infected with BSE.

Recently-revealed evidence suggests the disease had been noted even earlier than 1986 as the cause of death of cattle.

Scientists recognised the similarities of the brain disease in cattle to the disease scrapie, which affects sheep but they did not realise a new infection had emerged.
 

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