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Consultation on the proposed changes to BSE testing

   

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Ref: 347/08
Date: 31 October 2008

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh Assembly Government and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have today launched a joint consultation on proposals to raise the age above which cattle must be tested for BSE.

Under these proposals, the age above which all cattle slaughtered for human consumption and all fallen stock must be tested for BSE would rise to 48 months. The Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (England) Regulations 2008 and the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (Wales) Regulations 2006 would be amended to administer this change. 

The FSA Board and Health Ministers must agree to raise the age above which all cattle slaughtered for human consumption must be BSE tested, to 48 months, before this change could be implemented in the UK.

Comments are invited on any aspect of the proposals.  The consultation is available at: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/bse-testing/index.htm and closes on 3 December 2008.  The short consultation period is necessary to meet the EU’s expected timetable and allow the possibility of applying these proposals from 1 January 2009.

Notes to editors

  1. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal, degenerative brain diseases such as BSE in cattle, scrapie in sheep and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans.
  2. In 2007, there were 53 confirmed cases of BSE in Great Britain compared with over 37,000 clinical cases in 1992.  A further decline in BSE cases is expected in 2008.
  3. On 14 October 2008, the EU agreed a draft Commission Decision which would allow the United Kingdom to amend its BSE surveillance programme to raise the age above which all healthy slaughtered or emergency slaughtered cattle and all cattle showing clinical signs at ante-mortem inspection intended for human consumption and all fallen stock must be tested, to 48 months.  This age was determined on the basis of opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
  4. BSE remains a notifiable disease and cattle of all ages reported as suspect clinical cases will continue to be tested.  Controls on specified risk material (SRM) e.g. brains and spinal cord, which are the key controls to protect public health will remain in place as will controls on animal feed which are the key controls to protect animal health. The draft Decision also applies to the fourteen older EU Member States. The European Parliament has a one month right of scrutiny before the draft Commission Decision can be adopted.
  5. A specific Impact Assessment (IA) has not been prepared for this consultation but the IA for the 2007 Responsibility and Cost Sharing consultation will be updated to reflect the proposed increase in the testing ages for cattle. It will be placed online shortly.

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Page published: 31 October 2008