https://metro.co.uk/2025/05/20/mad-cow-disease-confirmed-essex-farm-23118925/
Published May 20, 2025 10:29am Updated May 20, 2025 4:55pm
A single case of mad cow disease has been confirmed on a farm in Essex.
The disease causes damage to the central nervous system in cows and eventually kills them.
The government said the cow was humanely put down and there was no risk to public health or food safety because it was not going to enter the food chain.
Mad cow disease, also known as Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a non-contagious disease in cows which is different from ‘classical’ BSE, which is linked to contaminated feed.
00:00
02:24
Read More
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.’
Inside the previous outbreak of Mad cow disease
According to the CDC, the first two cases of BSE were identified in cows in 1986 in the United Kingdom. The cows were likely infected in the 1970s.
The U.K. quickly became the epicentre of the outbreak. Overall, more than 184,000 cows in the U.K. died from BSE between 1986 and 2015. The outbreak was widespread, with more than 35,000 U.K. herds affected.
Cases peaked in 1993 at nearly 1,000 new cases per week. Cases decreased drastically after control measures were implemented. BSE cases are still reported occasionally, but are very rare.
Early efforts to control the BSE outbreak focused on culling (killing) sick animals to prevent them from entering the food chain.
The UK implemented the most stringent control measure – excluding animals >30 months old from the human and animal food supplies. It also included a ban on using meat from around the animals’ spinal columns since prions affect the nervous system. The programs – along with bans in other countries – have prevented additional BSE outbreaks.
Dr James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency, offered reassurance and said: ‘There is no food safety risk.
‘There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity.
Trending For You
- Couple renovating their 1850s home make a chilling discoveryUK2 days agoBy Jasper King
- Decapitated dog found dumped in shallow ditch
- Virus carried to UK by mosquitoes ‘has killed up to 40% of local blackbirds’
- More than 70 people now infected with parasite after visiting petting zoo
‘Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority.’
Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s during a BSE epidemic.
There was a peak of 100,000 confirmed cases in 1992/93 and it is estimated that around 180,000 cows were affected.
To try and stop the spread of the disease at the time, around 4.4 million cows were killed.
Exposing the Big Game 