About BSE and other TSEs

BSE was first confirmed in cattle in 1986. Despite much research, however, no one can say with certainty where BSE came from, although several theories exist.

Cattle are grazing animals that do not naturally eat meat. Most experts agree that BSE was most likely spread by cattle eating feed that contained Meat-and-Bone Meal (MBM), made from BSE-infected tissues. MBM was produced in a process called rendering; this was where otherwise unused animal products were taken from the carcase and turned into animal feed.

Experiments have shown that cattle can contract BSE if they are fed infected brain tissue. This seems to support the idea that BSE was transmitted to cattle through their animal feed.

The practice of feeding MBM to cattle, and all other farm livestock is now banned.

BSE only develops in cattle, but it belongs to a family of prion diseases, several of which can affect humans. The most commonly known disease in this group among humans is Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). This is a rare and fatal form of dementia that mainly occurs in individuals between the ages of 40 and 80.

CJD is not a new disease among humans, but in 1996, scientists discovered a new strain of CJD that occurs predominantly in younger people.

More recent evidence has shown that the protein that accumulates in the brains of individuals with this new form of CJD is similar to the protein found in cattle infected with BSE, rather than that found in classical CJD. Because of this newly discovered difference, the new illness in humans is known as variant CJD or vCJD.

The occurrence of a new form of CJD in the UK, where there was a high incidence of BSE, suggested that there might be a direct link between BSE and vCJD .Some individuals who have developed vCJD are known to have eaten potentially BSE-infected meat products. Researchers concluded that the most likely origin of this new disease was human exposure to the BSE agent.

Like BSE in cattle, vCJD is always fatal in people. As of June 2008, 166 probable or definite cases of vCJD had been diagnosed in the UK.

Since vCJD first appeared in the UK, an extensive programme of research has been put in place to answer questions about vCJD, such as how people are affected by the disease and how long it takes for individuals exposed to the illness to be affected by it.

Since the late 1980s, the Government has introduced and strengthened controls to reduce the risk of people eating beef and meat products that might be infected with BSE.

The controls are based on current scientific knowledge and are designed to reduce the risk to an extremely low level, although the risk from BSE cannot be removed completely.

A key job for the Food Standards Agency is to make sure that these controls are working effectively.

The Current controls are;

1) The removal of Specified Risk Material

By law, the parts of cattle, and sheep and goats most likely to carry BSE are removed when an animal is slaughtered. They do not go into our food. These parts of the animal are known as Specified Risk Material (SRM) and include brain and spinal cord. SRM controls are estimated to remove 99% of potential infectivity in the unlikely event of an animal infected with BSE but not yet showing any clinical signs being slaughtered for human consumption. (chart containing full details of SRM).

2) BSE testing of older cattle

From November 2005, cattle aged over thirty months have been able to enter the food chain, but only if they have tested negative for BSE. The BSE testing system replaces a blanket ban on cattle aged over thirty months entering the food chain. This BSE Control (called the Over Thirty Months Rule) operated from 1996 until November 2005. Cattle younger than thirty months are unlikely to carry a significant amount of BSE. The move to testing older cattle came about following a comprehensive review by the FSA which found that the additional risk to consumers resulting from the change would be extremely low.

Cattle born before August 1996, when a reinforced ban was introduced on animal feed containing meat and bone meal (see below), will continue to be permanently excluded from the food chain. Animal feed containing meat and bone meal is thought to have been responsible for the spread of BSE among cattle.

3) Mechanically Separated Meat

In the past, products such as low-cost burgers, sausages, pies and mince included mechanically separated meat (MSM). This is meat that is stripped from the bone at high pressure because it is impossible to remove by hand. In the mid-1990s the Government banned the use of the vertebral column, or backbone, of cattle in MSM. This ban was expanded in 1998 to cover the vertebral column of all grazing animals. The production of MSM from all ruminant bones is now prohibited throughout the EU.

4) The Feed Ban

A ban on the feeding of MBM to ruminants was introduced in the UK in 1988. In August 1996 this was extended to cover the feeding of MBM to all farm animals. The Regulations now prohibit the use of mammalian protein in feed to ruminant animals, and the incorporation of mammalian meat and bone meal in any farm livestock feed.

The ban on SRM and BSE testing of older cattle are the two controls that keep potentially infected material out of the human food chain. The feed ban prevents cattle from being exposed to BSE and therefore reduces the incidence, or number of new cases, of BSE.

In addition to these controls, animals with BSE or suspected of having BSE and the offspring of BSE cases and suspects are also removed from the food chain.

Since 1989 cases of BSE have been confirmed in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal. Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

The epidemic in the UK has been in decline for many years.

With the decline in BSE cases the UK is now, along with other EU Member States, classified in the controlled risk category as determined by the European Union (EU).

We still do not know how BSE started in the UK. But extensive use of MBM in cattle feed in this country meant that, once it started, BSE spread rapidly.

The EC Regulation 999/2001 applies throughout the European Union. All Member States must ensure that beef and beef products comply with controls contained in the regulation which is designed to reduce the risk of BSE.

These include compulsory testing of cattle over 30 months of age and the removal of specified risk material, in all Member States.

In order to be imported into the EU meat and meat products that originate from third countries must have evidence to show that they have been produced to an equivalent standard to Member States.

In addition, checks are made on imported beef by the Meat Hygiene Service to ensure that all specified risk material has been removed. Any consignments that contain SRM are rejected and destroyed. There have been a number of incidents since 2001, which are listed on this website.

To help consumers know where the beef they buy comes from, the Food Standards Agency has issued country of origin labelling guidance. Beef labelling regulations, which cover cuts of beef and minced meat, require the origin of beef to be given.

BSE has never been found in the UK sheep flock. However, some sheep ate the same feed (MBM) which is thought to have given cattle BSE and laboratory research has shown that sheep can be artificially infected with BSE. There is, therefore, a possible risk that BSE is in sheep and SRM controls are applied on a precautionary basis.

The Food Standards Agency will continue to take a precautionary approach and recommend precautionary and proportionate measures to protect the public against the possible risk of BSE in sheep.

For further information on BSE and to find out about the latest research, please call the Food Standards Agency on 0845 757 3012 (local rate).