July 26, 2005

New BSE cows found in the UK

A new cluster of three BSE-infected cows, born long after the mammalian feed ban in 1996, has been detected in the UK.

Scientists pointed out that the new cluster is the second of young BSE cases and suggested that that these cases are not statistical flukes.

Since the 1980s, the feeding of mammalian protein to cattle is believed to have caused more than 150,000 BSE cases in the UK.

Out of 85 confirmed BSE cases detected this year, 13 were from cattle born after the feed ban. So far, there are 106 confirmed BSE cases in UK cattle born after the feed ban.

With the new BSE cows, there are now fresh fears that the feed ban is being violated.

Scientists had hoped that BSE would be completely eliminated within a decade after the ban. The new cases, however, indicate that BSE could be around till the next decade.