Health officials have confirmed that a mad cow disease has been on a farm in Essex and the animal has been culled to prevent Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) from spreading.
Officials have said that there is no risk to the public or health food safety.
The Mirror reported, Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said, “A single case of atypical BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Essex. The animal died on farm and was tested as part of our strict routine controls and surveillance regime.
“Atypical BSE is distinct from classical BSE and is a spontaneously and sporadically occurring, non-contagious disease which is believed to occur at a very low level in all cattle populations.
“This is proof that our surveillance system for detecting and containing this type of disease is working.”
Last December there was a single case of BSE found on a farm in Scotland and the Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said officials had taken “swift and robust action to protect the agriculture sector.”
At the time Fairlie said in a statement, “The fact we identified this isolated case so quickly is proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working effectively. I want to thank the animal’s owner for their diligence. Their decisive action has allowed us to identify and isolate the case at speed which has minimised its impact on the wider industry.”
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