Retailers have been warned by the chairman of the Food Standards Agency that they have a role to play in ensuring BSE is kept out of the food chain. Speaking at the publication of the FSA's draft report on the BSE controls, Sir John Krebs said there had been no substantiated cases of beef over 30 months old being imported into the UK, but he added: "Retailers have a responsibility to ensure they obtain meat from reputable suppliers." Challenged on the possibility of BSE infecting sheep, FSA chief executive Geoffrey Podger said there was no evidence that it had. But if it did, he said, all lamb would have to be removed from the food chain. In its review the FSA concluded that the BSE controls were working, but it recommended that in some areas they needed to be tightened. It pointed out that blood, gelatin and tallow were still allowed in animal feed, and said that all "cannibalism" should be banned. It also recommended that bans should be imposed on feeding bone meal and pig meat to poultry. The review also pointed out that controls in the UK were more stringent than in the rest of the EU, where farmers are still allowed to feed cattle remains to animals other than cows. It warned this could pose a risk of cross-contamination into other species, and urged the EU to take action to prevent cross-contamination, particularly in countries with a known risk of BSE. The draft report will be agreed by the FSA board at a public meeting in Cardiff on November 9 before going to the Government. - The Philips report. See page 16 {{NEWS }}