UK - Reactions To BSE Scare

(26 Mar 1996) T/I: 10:10:58


British government assurances that health risks from British beef were extremely small were met with scepticism on Tuesday (26/3) by a disbelieving public. Parents taking their children to one of central London's elite
preparatory schools were virtually unanimous in saying British beef should no longer be on the school lunch menus. The head teacher of St Phillip's School, Harry Biggs-Davidson, said he had no faith in government attempts to diffuse the
situation. He said it was wrong to gamble with the children's lives. Many of the children said they were nervous about eating the meat. Britain's announcement last week of a probable link between BSE or Mad Cow Disease, and a similar fatal brain disorder in humans, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, has caused widespread panic and a banning of British beef throughout Europe.

SHOWS:

LONDON, UK - 26/3
British newspapers' headlines on world wide ban of British beef
Ext St Philip's school
CU St Philip's school plaque
Children entering school
Parent sot: "they (the government) say they haven't quantified it yet, I still think the risk is there and one has to be very careful, and that decision is a personal decision, for me..no"
School boy sot: "it's not safe at the moment, I am just scared of Mad Cow disease basically"
Little girl sot: "No (i wouldn't want beef), because it's got too much Mad Cow disease and it's killing people if you eat too much..."
Parent sot replying to journalist asking whether he would tuck into an English steak: "at my age certainly.."
Boy sot: "I'm nervouse about it...
Boy sot: "I am very nervous about this beef thing, I've still got a few years to live.."
Boy sot: "the chance of catching BSE is like the chance of winning the lottery.."
Mother sot: "I'm a bit worried about beef burgers..because you don't know what's in them and where it comes from in the cow.."
Head teacher Harry Biggs-Davidson sot "I think people are beginning to lose faith slightly in what the government say and we can't gamble with children's health...so we are keeping it off the menu for the moment .."
Ext children walking to school

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