BSE case officially confirmed in France

In France, BSE was diagnosed in a deceased cow
In France, a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) - better known as mad cow disease - has occurred. A deceased cow in the Ardennes has demonstrably suffered from BSE, reports the French Ministry of Agriculture. On Wednesday, the case was also confirmed by the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL). A message has been sent to the European Commission and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Ministry of Agriculture continued. There is no danger for consumers.

For the five-year-old cow from a herd in the Ardennes, a routine BSE check was carried out after death, which was positive. On Wednesday, the EU Reference Laboratory confirmed the case. It is the third BSE case of its kind in Europe since 2015, reports the French Ministry of Agriculture. For consumers, this has no consequences. Only certain parts of beef, which are not intended for human consumption anyway, are subject to some technical adjustments in accordance with European rules.

In France, BSE was detected in a deceased cow. For consumers, however, according to the authorities, there is no danger. (Image: bluedesign / fotolia.com)

Monitoring systems work
In the light of the current BSE case, the French Ministry of Agriculture concludes that it has confirmed the effectiveness of the monitoring system throughout the chain of French food production. The individual case was identified immediately and a threat to consumers could be ruled out. On Friday, the members of the National Advisory Council on Animal and Plant Health will discuss the further measures that are now required.

Causes of the disease unclear
French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll said that the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are now involved with the National Health Authority (ANSES) to better understand the cause of these individual BSE cases in cattle. Although only isolated diseases have occurred in cattle since the BSE crisis in the 1990s and the subsequent measures to control the animal epidemic, BSE does not appear to have finally been overcome. Particularly critically, the epizootic disease is considered because the consumption of contaminated beef in humans can trigger the deadly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. (Fp)