UN FAO Press Release on Mad Cow Threat

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Press Releases

FAO: COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD SHOULD
BE CONCERNED ABOUT 'MAD COW DISEASE' AND
SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO REDUCE AND PREVENT RISKS

Rome, 26 January - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
today has urged countries around the world, not just those in Western
Europe, to be concerned about the risk of bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form, the new variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD). In a statement issued in Rome, FAO
called for action to protect the human population, as well as the
livestock, feed and meat industries.

"There is an increasingly grave situation developing in the European
Union, with BSE being identified in cattle in several member states of
the EU which have, until recently, been regarded as free from the
disease", FAO said. "Confirmed and suspected cases of nvCJD are
occurring in people outside the UK, in various member states. More
research needs to be conducted into the nature of the agent and its
modes of transmission. Much remains unknown about the disease and the
infective agent. There is currently no method of diagnosis at early
stages of infection and no cure for the disease, neither in animals
nor in humans."

All countries which have imported cattle or meat and bone meal (MBM)
from Western Europe, especially the UK, during and since the 1980s,
can be considered at risk from the disease, according to the UN
agency. Several countries have imported large quantities of MBM in the
recent past.

FAO said it supports the EU's action and considers "that there is an
urgent need to refine the risk assessment and to extend it to other
countries and regions. Countries at risk should implement effective
surveillance for BSE in cattle and controls on the animal feed and
meat industries. At present, this means: laboratory testing of samples
from slaughtered cattle, and correct disposal of fallen stock and
improved processing of offals and by-products".

Within countries, FAO recommended applying the so-called Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Point system (HACCP) which aims at
identifying potential problems and taking corrective measures
throughout the food chain. Some of the issues include the production
of animal feed, the raw materials used, cross-contamination in the
feed mill, labelling of manufactured feeds, the feed transport system,
as well as monitoring imported live animals, slaughtering methods, the
rendering industry and the disposal of waste materials.

"Strict controls have been implemented in the United Kingdom and are
now being implemented in the rest of the EU," FAO said. "Countries
outside the EU should adopt appropriate measures to protect their
herds and to ensure the safety of meat and meat products. Legislation
to control the industry and its effective implementation is required,
including capacity building and the training of operatives and
government officials."

FAO advised countries to adopt a precautionary approach. As an
immediate measure, countries which have imported animals and MBM from
BSE-infected trading partners should consider a precautionary ban on
the feeding of MBM to ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats) or, to reduce
the risk of infection even further, to all animals.

Attention should be paid to slaughtering procedures and to the
processing and use of offal and by-product parts, FAO said. The
rendering industry should be scrutinised and appropriate procedures
adopted everywhere.

FAO, together with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the
Organisation Internationale des Epizooties (OIE), will hold an expert
consultation in the near future to draw up advice for countries,
particularly developing countries, to protect their people from nvCJD,
their livestock from BSE, and their industries from trade restrictions
and their repercussions.

The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius is currently finalizing work on a 'Code
of Practice for Good Animal Feeding' to ensure that animal products do
not create risks to consumers.

FAO, together with WHO and OIE, will continue to inform countries of
developments and of scientific and technical advances relating to this
problem.

The latest information can be obtained from the website:
http://www.fao.org/livestock/AGAP/FRG/Feedsafety/fs2.htm