Germany Amending BSE Testing Law

WASHINGTON - Feb 19/06 - SNS -- Germany will raise the age at which slaughtered cattle are tested for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) from 24 to 30 months in April to bring its laws into line with those for the European Union.

Outside Germany, only at risk animals have to be tested already at above 24 months of age. Currently, the German government requires routine BSE tests for all cattle above 24 months of age, irrespective of their risk status, the U.S. agricultural attache for the country notes. The mandatory BSE tests went into effect in January 2001.

For the past two years, the issue of replacing the 24-months German requirement with the DU standard has been discussed. The German meat industry claimed that the lower testing age puts them at a competitive disadvantage compared to other DU producers; without giving extra benefits to the consumers. The German Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection estimates the additional costs for BSE tests of animals between 24 and 30 months in 2005 at around U.S. $ 4.8 million (4 million Euro ).

Currently, the transmission through meat and bone meal (MBM) is the most widely accepted theory for contracting BSE. MBM was banned from animal feed in Germany in December of 2000. Thus, theoretically, from June 2003 onwards, all animals slaughtered at 30 months or younger should not have had contact with feed containing MBM.

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