Monthly report of specified risk material and other BSE control breaches for May 2007
Thursday 5 July 2007
The following report from the Food Standards Agency provides a monthly update on specified risk material (SRM) finds and related issues. These reports are posted on the Agency’s website normally during the second week of each month.
Email alerts for these reports and other BSE stories can be obtained by signing up via the website. Find out more about email updates.
SRM breaches reported over the past month
There are no SRM breaches to report.
Background on SRM issues
- SRM is that part of the animal most likely to contain BSE infectivity
- The SRM controls remove over 99% of BSE infectivity that may be present in cattle
- Under European Union (EU) law, SRM must be removed as soon as possible after slaughter, stained and disposed of safely
Slaughter of Over Thirty Months (OTM) Animal as Under Thirty Months (UTM) Animal
The Agency has been notified that an OTM animal was slaughtered for human consumption as a UTM animal not subject to BSE testing arrangements. Testing is mandatory for cattle slaughtered for human consumption at over thirty months of age. The animal, which was 46 days over thirty months, was slaughtered at Omagh Meats Ltd, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The carcase of the animal in question, as well as those of the one before and the two following it on the slaughter line, have been traced. No meat or offal from these animals left the abattoir in question to enter the food supply.
A full investigation into the circumstances of this incident is underway.
Background on BSE testing
- OTM cattle have been allowed for human consumption provided they have tested negative for BSE since 7 November 2005
- Over 660,000 OTM cattle have been slaughtered for human consumption in the UK since that date
- There have been three previous failures to test an OTM animal
- Cattle born before August 1996 continue to be excluded from the food supply