December 8, 2005

EU sees fewer BSE cases

The EU is seeing fewer cases of mad cow disease, or BSE, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Fewer positive tests for BSE this year have been attributed to extensive testing and control programmes in the bloc to curb the disease.

By Sep 30, 356 BSE cases were reported in the EU for the year, of which 151 were in the UK. This represented a significant decline from 2004, when 529 cases were reported in the EU.

Meanwhile, Poland reported a 36 percent rise in positive tests for BSE from January to November this year. However, the actual number was small at only 15, and the rise was attributed to an increase in BSE testing since the country joined the EU.