Mad Cow Disease Confirmed on Scottish Farm

A case of classical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, has been confirmed in a cow on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

The Scottish Government said precautionary movement restrictions had been imposed on the animal’s offspring and other cattle in the same cohort. The affected animals have been traced and isolated and will be destroyed in line with legal requirements.

Officials said the case was detected through routine BSE surveillance. Investigations are ongoing to determine how the animal became infected.

Authorities stressed that the affected cow did not enter the human food chain and that there is no risk to human health from the isolated case.

BSE is a rare and fatal disease affecting the brain and nervous system of cattle. Symptoms can include nervousness, aggression, difficulty walking, tremors, weight loss and reduced milk production.

The UK suffered a major BSE outbreak during the 1980s and 1990s, resulting in the slaughter of millions of cattle and more than 170 human deaths linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Scottish Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said the rapid detection and isolation of the case demonstrated that the country’s surveillance system was working effectively.

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