Pledge to avoid repeat of BSE scandal

Human form of BSE is thought to have killed 86

Ministers have pledged to do all in their power to prevent a repeat of the BSE scandal which is thought to have claimed the lives of 86 people.

Agriculture Minister Nick Brown acknowledged that the inquiry into the outbreak had identified "serious shortcomings" in the handling of the affair by previous Conservative governments.

Opening a debate on Lord Phillips' report, Mr Brown said: "The whole approach and behaviour of departments and individuals will need to change to ensure that the lessons identified by the inquiry are properly absorbed and implemented."

Dissident scientists tended to be treated with derision

Nick Brown
Agriculture Minister

One "central question" remained - the unresolved origin of BSE, and there would be further research into this before the government's final response to the report was published later this year.

Lord Phillips' 16-volume report, published last October, criticised ministers and civil servants for failing to be open about the possibility of BSE spreading to humans.

The government published its interim response last week and announced on Wednesday plans to pay interim compensation of £25,000 each to families of those who had died of variant CJD - the human form of "mad cow" disease.

'Political failure'

Mr Brown told the Commons the report documented "institutional and political failure up to the highest levels".

With several Tory former agriculture ministers, including John Gummer, listening intently from the Opposition benches, he said the Conservative government had "failed to be completely open about BSE".

Agriculture Minister told of 'institutional shortcomings'

Mr Brown said the report found that many of those dealing with the problem "hoped and believed" that a link between BSE and humans would never be found.

"The official line that the risk of transmissibility was remote and that beef was safe did not recognise the possible validity of any other view. Dissident scientists tended to be treated with derision."

Public 'betrayed'

The consequence was that when the link was found "the public felt betrayed".

Mr Brown outlined Government action taken since the report, including the setting up of a Food Standards Agency and added: "Institutional shortcomings cannot be corrected overnight.

Shadow Agriculture Minister: Conclusions 'comprehensive and fair'

"There has been a significant loss of public confidence in the arrangements for handling food safety and standards, in large part due to the events surrounding BSE.

"Our task is to do everything we can so that these failures do not happen again."

He said the report documented "a national tragedy that has so far claimed the lives of 86 of our fellow citizens and wreaked havoc on an entire industry".

Government openness

Promising greater government openness, he said: "Trust can only be generated by openness."

Shadow agriculture minister Tim Yeo welcomed Mr Brown's comments and said he accepted the "comprehensive and fair" conclusions of the Phillips Report.

Lord Phillips: Governments failed to be open

"We recognise mistakes were made. I profoundly regret the consequences of those mistakes and we are truly sorry for the tragic outcomes and terrible suffering of victims of vCJD."

Blaming individuals for particular actions is not a "particularly constructive" way forward, he added.

Labour's Dr David Clark MP, agriculture spokesman between 1987 and 1992, attacked the previous administration for delays and initially "hushing up" the disease for financial reasons.

Tory former agriculture minister John MacGregor, who was responsible for implementing the ban on meat and bonemeal in animal feed, defended himself against criticisms in the report.

Up to 40 new animal diseases were discovered every year, he said, and it was impossible to know which was going to prove the most difficult.

"When I took the initial decisions about the banning of meat and bonemeal I was conscious that we were only 80% sure that that was a cause of BSE."

He "quickly" banned meat and bonemeal within three weeks of receiving a report from the chief vet to say he thought it was the cause, he insisted.