Letter: BSE is rife in dairy herds so why don't we worry about milk?

Sir: The last Labour government had prepared regulations to control the production of ruminant derived protein, in particular for use in animal feed. The "market mad" Conservative Party, on entering government, rejected the regulatory route and left the industry to draw up its own guidelines.

Deregulation meant less stringent procedures, causing animal feed not to be heated to appropriate temperatures, which allowed the scrapie contagion from sheep's brains to survive the rendering process and cause the BSE outbreak. This is one area of policy in which the Labour Party has been proven continuously entirely correct.

Joey Hughes

Socialist & Environment &

Resources Association

London N4