February 4, 2023

One case of mad cow disease detected in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has confirmed a case of mad cow disease on a Dutch farm after a deceased cow tested positive for the illness, marking a rare instance of the cattle affliction that can lead to a fatal brain disease in humans who consume infected beef, Washington Post reported.

Piet Adema, the Netherlands' Agriculture Minister, said the farm where the mad cow case was discovered has been sealed off, and the infected animal did not enter the food supply, presenting no threat to food safety.

Tests conducted on the dead 8-year-old cow from the farm in South Holland province showed that the animal had a naturally occurring form of the mad cow disease called atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and not classical BSE which is caused by consuming contaminated feed.

Food safety authorities are conducting an investigation to trace the offspring of the infected cow and any cows that ate the same feed or grew up with it. If any of the animals test positive for BSE, they will be euthanised, tested, and destroyed.

The last case of BSE was detected in the Netherlands was in 2011.

-      Washington Post