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Case of Mad Cow Disease identified on farm in Aberdeenshire, officials confirm

Andy Wells
·Freelance Writer
<em>A case of Mad Cow Disease has been identified on a farm in Aberdeenshire (Pixabay/stock photo)</em>
A case of Mad Cow Disease has been identified on a farm in Aberdeenshire (Pixabay/stock photo)

A case of Mad Cow Disease has been identified on an Aberdeenshire firm, officials have confirmed.

An investigation into the source of the animal disease Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is being carried out at the unnamed farm.

The case was identified as part of routine testing and did not enter the human food chain, according to the Scottish Government.

Restrictions have now been put in place to prevent the disease from spreading.

<em>Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s due to BSE (Getty)</em>
Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s due to BSE (Getty)

Scotland’s Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said: ‘While it is too early to tell where the disease came from in this case, its detection is proof that our surveillance system is doing its job.

‘We are working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency to answer this question, and in the meantime, I would urge any farmer who has concerns to immediately seek veterinary advice.’

Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary, added: ‘Following confirmation of a case of classical BSE in Aberdeenshire, I have activated the Scottish Government’s response plan to protect our valuable farming industry, including establishing a precautionary movement ban being placed on the farm.

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‘While it is important to stress that this is standard procedure until we have a clear understanding of the diseases origin, this is further proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working.’

Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s due to BSE.

It can be passed on to humans in the food chain, causing a fatal condition called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

<em>The disease has been reduced to a handful of cases each year in the UK (Getty)</em>
The disease has been reduced to a handful of cases each year in the UK (Getty)

Strict controls were introduced to protect consumers after the link was established in 1996.

The disease has been reduced to a handful of cases each year in the UK, with the last recorded case in Wales in 2015.

Scotland has been BSE free since 2009.

More to follow…