March 17, 2006

Mad cow disease confirmed in Japan

Officials in Japan have confirmed the country's first case of mad cow disease in cattle specifically raised to provide meat, Kyodo News agency reported Friday.

A 14-year-old female cow among cattle bred for food in the southern city of Nagasaki was confirmed to have been infected with the disease, Kyodo News agency reported, quoting health ministry officials.

Japan has had 23 previous cases of mad cow disease, but all of them involved dairy cattle.

Japan began testing beef entering the market and banned the use of meat-and-bone meal after it was hit by the first case of mad cow disease in 2001.

Despite this, a cow at another farm in Hokkaido that died from the disease in January was found to have been fed meat-and-bone meal. 45 other cows at that farm were culled as a result.