BSE ‘mad cow disease’ indentified in dead cow

Safeguards mean the disease is largely under control now – only one case in the United Kingdom before now has been reported since 2012.

This is the first time a recorded case of BSE has been identified in Wales since 2013.

Earlier this year a case of BSE was confirmed by the Department of Agriculture in five-year-old cow on a dairy farm in Co.

A case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has been identified in Wales after the disease was found in a dead cow on a farm.The case has been confirmed by the Welsh government and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

In a statement the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food Rebecca Evans said it was an isolated case and the cow had not entered the food chain.

She added: “My officials are working closely with Defra and Apha to investigate the circumstances of this case”.

News of the detection was not likely to impact on beef consumption or livestock trade across the United Kingdom, industry representative body AHDB Beef & Lamb said.

The location of the Welsh farm in the latest case has not been revealed. Since the link between variant CJD and BSE was discovered in 1996 there have been strict controls to prevent meat from infected cattle from entering the food chain. Wales has the best beef produce in the world and that is something our nation can continue to be immensely proud of.

It became known as “mad cow” disease after it emerged it was contagious to humans.

BSE is transmmitable to humans where it manifests itself in the form of CJD (Creatzfeldt-Jakob disease). Once they die, the said materials are removed. It’s still safe to drink milk or cow milk products as they have not been found to cause infections to humans.