February 27, 2007

BSE wanes down in Europe

The number of livestock affected with BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) or mad cow disease continues to decrease in 2006 with a ratio of only one case per twenty thousand head (actually less than one positive case is detected per hundred thousand cattle tested in 21 of the 25 EU member states, excluding Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom). BSE prevalence had already decreased to below 5 per million cattle in EU except in four member-nations mentioned as well as for several New Member States (NMS).

For the full USDA report, please click here