Imams to pass BSE and sheep message to Muslim congregations
Monday, 10 February 2003
Sir John Krebs, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, visited the Regents
Park Mosque in London on Thursday 30 January, on the occasion of a joint
briefing held by the Agency and the Islamic Cultural Centre for Muslim
religious leaders (Imams) from across the UK.
The briefing was held to advise Imams about the possible risk of BSE in
sheep and the informed choices that could be made by their congregations
who eat older sheep meat (mutton), to reduce the possible risk.
The briefing was presented by Sir John Krebs as part of a wider risk
communication campaign about the possible risk of BSE in sheep and goats.
Imams heard that BSE has never been found naturally in the UK sheep
flock, but that the possibility cannot be ruled out. If BSE were present
in sheep, it would be likely to be present in very few sheep but
infectivity would be greater in older sheep meat (mutton) and the
possible risk needed to be communicated to the Muslim and Asian
communities which eat mutton.
BSE cannot be destroyed by cooking. BSE in cows is linked to vCJD in
humans, and the Agency told Imams that it is assumed that there would be
the same risk to humans if BSE is in sheep.
The Agency was not advising against the consumption of sheep meat.
However, consumers had the right to know that if BSE were present in
sheep, the risk would be likely to be reduced by avoiding older sheep meat.
Sir John Krebs told the Imams: 'BSE has not been found to occur
naturally in sheep, and the FSA is not advising against the consumption
of sheep meat.
'However, there may be a risk and consumers have a right to be aware of
this. If BSE were in sheep there would be a higher risk in older animals.
'We know that the Muslim and some Asian communities are relatively large
consumers of mutton. By sharing this information, we hope that people
will be able to make an informed choice.
'This is the message we hope you will be able to convey to your
congregations and we hope this briefing and explanation has been useful
in helping you to do that.'
Speaking after the meeting, Sir John said: 'I was very pleased to be
able to meet such eminent religious leaders of the Muslim communities to
discuss our work.
'The FSA has a duty to ensure that the public is kept informed of
developments relating to food safety. It is very important for us to
reach out to all our communities.
'I want to thank the Islamic Cultural Centre and its directors who have
supported our efforts and helped in so many ways to enable us to reach
the Muslim communities with our message. I am looking forward to this
being the start of a long, constructive working relationship.'
Mr Nizar Boga, Operations Manager at the Islamic Cultural Centre in
London, said: 'I am extremely pleased to see the Food Standards Agency
take such a keen interest in the welfare of our members and followers.
'It has certainly been very helpful for the Imams to hear the facts
about the issues from Sir John, and I am sure they will be better able
to pass the advice to our community. The FSA is clear that it is not
advising against the consumption of sheep meat, but Muslim and Asian
consumers will have to think carefully about the possible risks.'
Dr Ahmed Aldubayan, the Director General at the Islamic Cultural Centre,
said: 'I am indeed grateful to Sir John and the Food Standards Agency to
help our community understand the possible risk of mutton being infected
with BSE.
'His personal concerns about Muslims who face a higher possible risk
because of the high consumption of mutton is greatly appreciated. I do
hope that at the end of this seminar, the Imams who have come from all
over the UK will take the message and transmit it to their congregations
in Friday sermons.
'I welcome this kind of joint partnership programme and hope today's
meeting will be a model for future issues.'
Imam Aslam Gafur from the Turnpike Lane Mosque in North London said: 'It
was very good to meet Sir John, who came personally to explain the
situation to us. I achieved a lot of understanding of this issue
personally, and will try to pass on the message to my congregation.'
A special pack of briefing notes was handed out to all Imams, with Urdu,
Bengali and Arabic translations.
Notes for Editors:
1. The Agency announced at its Board meeting on 22 October 2001 that it
planned to review existing precautionary measures against the possible
risk of BSE in sheep. A public stakeholder meeting was held on 18
December 2001 where it was announced that a core stakeholder group would
further consider the issue and put their findings to the FSA Board.
The BSE and Sheep Stakeholder Report was published on 23rd May 2002 for
public consultation. The report and responses from the public
consultation were considered by the FSA Board at its open meeting on
13th June 2002. The Board agreed to accept the recommendations in the
Report, which included the advising of Asian, Muslim and
African-Caribbean consumers of the higher possible risk from mutton and
older goat meat.
2. There is still a great deal of uncertainty about the presence of BSE
in sheep and goats and BSE has not been found to occur naturally. There
is a possible risk of BSE in sheep and goats because:
* Experiments had shown that it is possible to infect sheep with
BSE by feeding or injecting them with the brain tissue from infected cattle.
* Sheep as well as cows are known to have eaten feed that contained
meat and bonemeal which is likely to be the most likely cause of BSE in
cows.
* Sheep are susceptible to a different disease within the same
group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) called scrapie.
* Scrapie could be concealing BSE (or something like BSE) in sheep.
* Unlike with BSE, there is no evidence of a link between scrapie
and Creutzfeld Jakob disease (CJD) in humans.
* If BSE were present the risk would be greater in older sheep (mutton)
or older goat meat and related products.
3.The parts of sheep currently specified as specified risk material
(SRM) under EU legislation are:
* all sheep: spleen;
* sheep over 12 months of age (ie with one permanent incisor): the skull
(including brain and eyes), spinal cord and tonsils.
4.A survey undertaken for the Meat and Livestock Commission, published
in October 2001, indicated that the Muslim community, although only 5%
of the population, consumes around 20% of sheep meat. It is estimated
that over 75% of meat from sheep over 12 months of age went into the
ethnic retail sector.
Goat meat is a traditional ingredient in African-Caribbean dishes, so it
is probable that goat meat consumption is above the UK average in these
communities.
5. The Food Standards Agency is a UK-wide independent government agency
set up in 2000 to protect people’s health and the interests of all
consumers in relation to food. Further information, along with the BSE
and Sheep Stakeholder Report, can be found on the website www.food.gov.uk.
[ENDS]
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