Monthly reports of specified risk material and other BSE control breaches for May, June and July 2008

The following report provides an update for July 2008 on SRM finds and related issues.

SRM breaches reported over the past month

There are no SRM breaches to report.

The following report provides an update for June 2008 on SRM finds and related issues.

Imported SRM breaches

On 5 June 2008 the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) reported the discovery of spinal cord, which is SRM in goats aged over 12 months, in five goat sides imported from the Netherlands. The breach was discovered at London Central Markets and was part of a consignment of 20 goat sides. The spinal cord should have been removed at the plant in the Netherlands, Vitelco B.V. of Hertogenbosch, prior to dispatch. The affected sides were detained. The remainder of the consignment was checked, found free from SRM and released for human consumption.

The receiving organisation, London Central Markets, was not responsible for the breach.

On 26 June 2008 the Agency was informed by the Swedish authorities that food products derived from SRM from cattle aged over 30 months had been exported to the UK. The risk to public health was negligible. Full details, which can be found at the link below, were published on 11 July.

Domestic SRM breach

On 18 June 2008 a report was made to the MHS of the discovery of a ewe side containing its entire spinal cord. Spinal cord is SRM in sheep aged over 12 months. The side was detained. The other carcasses in the consignment were checked, found free from SRM and released for human consumption.

Investigations revealed that the animal had been processed on 13 June at Cig Cibyn Ltd of Caernarfon, where the spinal cord should have been removed. Measures have been taken to prevent a recurrence.

The receiving organisation, London Central Markets, was not responsible for the breach.

The following report from the Agency provides an update for May 2008 on SRM finds and related issues.

Domestic SRM breach

On 30 May a possible breach of SRM controls was found by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) at Coast & County Meat Supply Co Ltd of Gateshead Tyne and Wear.

MHS records showed that an unsplit sheep carcass had gone missing from a chiller between 29 and 30 May. The carcass had been detained in the chiller pending splitting and the removal of spinal cord, which is SRM in sheep over 12 months of age. Apart from a final official check to verify the removal of the spinal cord, the carcass had undergone and had passed post-mortem inspection by the MHS.

The Food Business Operator (FBO) was unable to confirm to the MHS where the missing carcass had been dispatched to.

Given the FBOs current working practices, the MHS on site are reasonably confident that the spinal cord was removed, but as no final inspection of the carcass was made, it cannot be confirmed whether any meat from the carcass that entered the food supply was completely free of SRM. The public health risk from a sheep carcass containing SRM is very low.

The MHS are working with the FBO to improve operational procedures to minimise any risk that carcasses could potentially leave the premises without being inspected after spinal cord is removed and to improve the traceability of lamb and sheep carcasses dispatched from the plant.

• SRM is that part of the animal most likely to contain BSE infectivity
• the SRM controls remove over 99% of BSE infectivity that may be present in cattle
• under European Union law, SRM must be removed as soon as possible after slaughter, stained and disposed of safely