BSE cases Falling in Europe

WASHINGTON - Sep 15/05 - SNS -- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) cases continue to fall in most EU member states, causing European officials to rethink its BSE measures and to suggest amendments to it.

The first amendments that have been proposed concerned changes in the BSE monitoring, relaxation of the rules on tallow and the end of the UK Over Thirty Month Scheme (OTMS), reports the U.S. agricultural attache for the region.

In June 2005, the European Food Safety Agency has published its BSE assessments of most South-American countries and of New-Zealand. Chile was classified under GBR III and Brazil under GBR II.

In 2004, over 11 million BSE tests were carried out, of which 10 million in the EU-15 and one million in the NMS. The testing of 8.7 million healthy cattle at slaughter resulted in the detection of 155 BSE positives. The huge cost incurred in this testing of healthy cattle inspired the EC to amend its BSE monitoring procedures.

New BSE/TSE monitoring regulations were proposed in the TSE Roadmap. Apart from changing the monitoring program, this roadmap also includes proposals to modify Specified Risk Material (SRM) standards, amending the feed ban, implementing the new OIE geographical classification system for BSE and guidance measures for the end of the UK Over Thirty Months scheme (OTMS).

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