The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reports that an isolated case of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was confirmed in a five-year-old indigenous cow in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on Oct. 18.
The animal died on farm and the case was detected during routine surveillance of fallen stock cattle. The animal was not presented for slaughter and did not enter the food chain. There is no threat to food safety or human health.Four other bovines from the herd were destroyed and will be tested as a precaution.
This is the first reported case in Great Britain since 2015. The country’s Animal and Plant Health Agency will conduct a detailed investigation to try and identify the source of the disease. Mari Gougeon, minister for rural affairs and the environment, stated in a meeting of Parliament on Oct. 23 that the results of the investigations may not be available for a month or longer.
This finding means Scotland will lose its BSE negligible-risk status and revert to BSE controlled-risk status, which is the same as the rest of the United Kingdom.
