9 Dec 2024
Farmers are being encouraged to seek veterinary advice if they have concerns, although officials say the case is isolated and not a transmissible form of the disease.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image: Iordanis Pallikaras / Adobe Stock
Movement restrictions have been imposed around a farm in southern Scotland following the detection of a case of atypical BSE.
Farmers are being encouraged to seek veterinary advice if they have concerns, although senior clinicians say the affected animal did not have the transmissible form of the disease.
News of the incident, affecting a single cow on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway, has been confirmed by the Scottish Government, following routine surveillance.
Scotland’s CVO Sheila Voas said: “The fast detection of this case is proof that our surveillance system is doing its job.
“We are working closely with the APHA, and other partners to identify where the disease came from.
“I want to reassure both farmers and the public that this is an isolated case and of the atypical strain of BSE, which is not transmissible and not connected to contaminated feed. But, if any farmers are concerned, I would urge them to seek veterinary advice.”
Precautionary movement restrictions are in place around the affected premises and cover animals that have been in contact with the case animal.
However, Food Standards Scotland stressed there is no risk to human health and the affected animal did not enter the food chain.
Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie also praised the affected animal’s owner for their “diligence” in the matter.
He said: “Their decisive action has allowed us to identify and isolate the case at speed which has minimised its impact on the wider industry.”
Meanwhile, BVA president Elizabeth Mullineaux said her organisation was in contact with both the Edinburgh administration and its relevant species divisions in connection with the case.
She added: “Vets in Scotland should refer to the Government’s BSE guidance on the clinical signs and how to report any suspicious cases.”
