July 30, 2004

Czech Control Test Confirms 13th BSE Case

A control test on a 5-year old cow from a breed of the ZEAS company of East Bohemia has confirmed a 13th case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the Czech Republic, State Veterinary Administration (SVS) spokesman Josef Duben said.

As a result, 143 cattle of the same age will be killed, he added.

ZEAS has some 2,000 hectares of land and 480 cows. In total, farmers in Podhorni Ujezd in the Jicin district where the case was detected breed around 1,100 cattle.

606,000 animals have been tested in the Czech Republic for BSE so far. The SVS says the number of BSE cases is low compared with other countries with BSE occurrence.

The number of cows slaughtered in connection with the previous twelve BSE cases is near 2,000, Duben said.

The first BSE case in the Czech Republic was detected in June 2001. Vets subsequently ordered tests on all slaughtered animals older than 30 months.