BSE controls may be relaxed as incidence falls

02-08-2010 | UK Farmers Guardian

BSE controls may be relaxed as incidence falls significantly Costly and burdensome BSE restrictions could be soon be relaxed after the European Commission admitted the incidence of disease had fallen significantly in recent years.

From a peak of 37,000 cases in 1992, the number of BSE cases in the UK fell to 11 in 2009, while the number of BSE cases across the whole of Europe has dropped from 2167 in 2001 to 67 in 2009.

With that in mind, the European Commission has published its "TSE Roadmap II", which looks at ways to relax strict rules on the removal of Specified Risk Material (SRM), the feed ban, monitoring programmes and the eradication policy for scrapie in small ruminants.

Alistair Mackintosh, NFU livestock board chairman, welcomed the move.

"I am delighted the commission now recognises the risk of TSEs in the food chain is negligible and it has reduced to such a point that we can now look at ways to relax these controls."

He said he would like to see BSE testing and SRM removal ages lifted and to allow the sheep-splitting age to be lifted from 12 months.

"I look forward to working closely with the commission on this matter and I hope we can turn these proposals into a reality for the benefit of producers and consumers alike," he said.

BSE was diagnosed in the UK in 1986 and it soon became an epidemic,reaching a peak in 1992 when the UK reported 37,000 cases.

Scientists blamed farmers for using meat and bonemeal (MBM) produced from animal carcases in animal feed and in 1994 the EU enforced a ban on MBM in cattle feed.

In 2000 the EU ruled all SRM ­ which includes the skull, brain, eyes and spinal cord for bovine animals over 12 months, the vertebral column for bovine animals over 30 months and the tonsils, intestines and mesentery for bovine animals of all ages ­ had to be removed and destroyed to prevent it entering the food and feed chain.

In 2001, the commission introduced a comprehensive surveillance system, including post-mortem testing of all risk animals aged over 24 months (48 months in some member states), and testing of all healthy slaughtered bovine animals over 30 months (48 months in some member states).

The TSE Roadmap II, which considers how these measures can be reduced, will now be considered by EU Ministers and MEPs.

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