BSE review prompted
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by Karen Miles • The role of drivers in charge of the remains of cattle more than two and a half years old is to be tightened up after last week's confusion after a spillage of cows' blood on the M6.
The Ministry of Agriculture's Intervention Board says it will be looking at the role of drivers to make sure they have a "clearer understanding" of bovine remains resulting from the scheme to eradicate BSE by killing older dairy cows. The board has also asked for a report on the incident from Prosper de Mulder, the meat renderer involved in the 60 gallon spillage near Wolverhampton.
The board is concerned that confusion surrounding the spillage caused the emergency services to fear the blood may have been infected with BSE. Blood splashed on four fire fighters and two police officers, as well as the Prosper de Mulder tanker driver and his wife. All eight were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
Traffic flow through the northbound section of the M6 near junction 9 was also curtailed by the accident, causing jams up to 18 miles long.
"Any movements are strictly supervised and vehicles should be up to standard. We are quite surprised this happened," says a board spokeswoman.
When the leak occurred, the vehicle was carrying blood from slaughtered cows which were more than two and a half years old from a Prosper de Mulder site in Exeter to be destroyed in Widnes, Cheshire.
Prosper de Mulder says the tanker was hired and that the pressure relief valve responsible for the leak had passed an inspection two days before the incident.