VETS have identified a case of BSE on a farm in Aberdeenshire – the first discovery of mad cow disease in Scotland in 10 years.
Officials say there are no health risks and no danger to the human food chain, but with news of the discovery in Huntly being reported around the world it seems almost certain the findings will have a damaging impact on Scotland’s food sector.
Restrictions have been put in place at the unnamed farm while the investigation is carried out into the source of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Scotland’s chief veterinary officer Sheila Voas said the detection of the diseases was “proof” that the system was working.
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Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary, pictured, added: “Following confirmation of a case of classical BSE in Aberdeenshire, I have activated the Scottish Government’s response plan to protect our valuable farming industry, including establishing a precautionary movement ban being placed on the farm.
“While it is important to stress that this is standard procedure until we have a clear understanding of the diseases origin, this is further proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working.”
Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s due to BSE. It can be passed on to humans in the food chain, causing a fatal condition called Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Strict controls were introduced to protect consumers after the link was established in 1996.
There have been a handful of cases confirmed in the UK in recent years.
This is the first reported case since two discoveries in 2015, when the disease was found in cows in England and Wales.
The World Organisation for Animal Health, has now downgraded Scotland from “negligible” risk to “controlled” risk, the same level England and Wales are currently at.
The chair of Quality Meat Scotland Kate Rowell, also a farmer and qualified vet, called for a calm response to the reports: “The reality is that sporadic cases, such as the one confirmed this week, do occur and have also been reported in other countries.”
NFU Scotland’s president Andrew McCornick, added that the sector had been prepared for the possibility of a BSE comeback.
“It’s disappointing to learn of this BSE case within the Aberdeenshire area,” he said. “Whilst we lose our negligible risk status it is not unexpected to see a new case and demonstrates the efficacy of the surveillance measures in place.
“This simply brings us back in line with the rest of Great Britain reverting back to where were 18 months ago.
“When Scotland applied for BSE negligible risk status it was with the full knowledge that there was every possibility of a sporadic case of BSE emerging”.
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