EU probe says feed is cause of BSE ‘odd case’
A VERY small number of classical BSE in cattle across the EU – the type that’s transmissible to humans – probably have been caused by contaminated feed to cattle, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded in a report published last week.
Since 2001, a ban on the use of animal proteins in animal feed has come close to wiping out BSE in cattle across the EU, but a tine number of classical BSE cases continue to show up.
Between 2005 and 2016, 60 cattle born after the 2001 animal proteins ban came into place, have still tested positive out of a total of 73 million tests across the EU - none of the 60 animals entered the food chain.
The European Commission then asked the EFSA to try and establish why this small number of cattle were still testing positive for classical BSE based on two possibilities: either they occurred spontaneously or contaminated feed was still involved.
Now the experts from the EFSA have concluded that contaminated food is still the most likely sources of the classical BSE infection that are still turning up in these small number of cases.
“This is because the infectious agent that causes BSE has the ability to remain active for many years. Cattle may have been exposed to contaminated feed.
“This is because the BSE infectious agent was present where feed was stored or handled. A second possibility is that contaminated feed ingredients may have been imported from non-EU countries,” the EFSA experts have concluded.
The European response to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) after the crisis of the 1980s has significantly reduced prevalence of the disease in cattle.
However, with isolated cases still being reported in the EU, the European Commission asked EFSA to investigate their origin.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.