UK identifies atypical case of ‘mad cow’ disease

London: A case of atypical “mad cow disease” has been found on a farm in eastern England, Britain’s animal health agency said on May 20, but authorities said there was no food risk.

A cow in the county of Essex showed clinical signs of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), as the neurologic disease is officially termed, and was culled on site, it said.

The news came one day after Britain signed a post-Brexit agreement with the European Union, including a deal to reduce checks on food and plant products.

BSE was first identified in Britain almost 40 years ago and has since spread around the world, causing a crisis in the beef industry.

“Atypical BSE is distinct from classical BSE and is a spontaneously and sporadically occurring, non-contagious disease which is believed to occur at a very low level in all cattle populations,” chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said in a statement from the agency.

The atypical variant sporadically occurs in older cattle, while the classic form is spread when farmers feed their herds with the meat and bone meal of infected animals.

This is the fourth case of atypical mad cow disease in the UK since 2015.

The previous occurrence of the disease occurred in December 2024 in Scotland.

The classic form poses more danger to humans, while BSE is linked to the fatal human condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease if contaminated meat is eaten.

“There is no food safety risk” following the latest incident, James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at Britain’s Food Standards Agency, said on May 20.

“There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity.”

The government said it had informed the World Organisation for Animal Health as well as trading partners regarding the case.

“This does not affect the UK’s ability to export beef to other countries,” it added.

Britain culled millions of cows during a BSE epidemic in the 1990s.

Under the new deal with the EU, the UK will be able to sell British burgers and sausages in the neighbouring bloc.