“The three cases in Canada and the one case in the U.S. from an imported animal are isolated incidents,” said Andrew Speedy, an FAO animal production expert. The cases were detected because of testing procedures in place. During 2004, more than 176,000 cattle were tested in the United States out of a total cattle population of almost 95 million, while more than 21,000 cattle were tested out of 14.5 million cattle in Canada. In addition, a ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants has been in place in both countries since 1997.
Western European countries experienced significant numbers of BSE cases in 2001 and 2002, but the disease is now declining in the region. There have also been some cases in Eastern Europe, Israel, and Japan.
FAO said there is a need for a steady, scientific approach to ensure that the disease is kept out of unaffected countries. Identification of animals by the use of ear tags or electronic systems, national registration and movement records, compulsory testing of suspect animals, and general awareness, especially among producers and their veterinarians, are all part of essential control measures. Incentives may need to be given to encourage detection of suspect cases.
“There is still some lack of understanding about BSE and how it can be detected and controlled,” Speedy said. BSE can only be identified in adult animals; the animals that must be tested are cows that are casualties and fallen stock.
“There is no point in testing all animals in slaughterhouses, because most of them are too young to detect the disease,” Speedy said.
FAO is working with Swiss experts to train people/veterinary staff in other countries, including Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Near East, in methods of diagnosis, surveillance, and prevention.
“Switzerland had its first case of BSE in 1990 and peaked at 68 cases in 1995,” pointed out Speedy. “There were just three cases in 2004, demonstrating how effectively the system has worked in Switzerland.”
Switzerland has a fool-proof system of cattle identification and registration, a scientific testing program, preventative measures in the rendering and animal feed industry, and complete support throughout the food chain.
The goat diagnosed with BSE in France, which was slaughtered in 2002, was the first food animal other than cattle to contract the disease naturally. It was thought that sheep and goats were only affected by scrapie, which is distinguishable from BSE and not thought to be transmissible to humans. But FAO stressed that this is one example in millions, and the goat was born before Europe imposed a total ban on feeding of meat and bone meal to livestock in January 2001.
FAO urges countries to apply control measures that include the exclusion of potentially infective materials (specified risk materials) from the food and feed chain and improvement of practices in the rendering and feed industries.
April 2005 Render