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Published Date: 2002-07-21 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH> BSE - update (08) July 2002
Archive Number: 20020721.4828

BSE - UPDATE (08) July 2002
***************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
In these BSE updates:
[1] BSE and meat consumption, Germany
[2] BSE cases, Portugal, 2002
[3] BSE mass-testing figures, EU 2001
[4] Change in British beef export rules
[5] Risk material in French beef
[6] Israeli-Palestinian cooperation on BSE control
[1]
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Bloomberg News: Commodities, 17 Jul 2002 [edited]

German Meat Sales Barely Rose in January Through May
-----------------------------------------------------
Bonn: German meat consumption barely rose in the first 5 months this year
from a year ago, the ZMP price monitoring agency said, disappointing hopes
demand would recover quickly after last year's livestock diseases.
Germans bought just 2.1 percent more beef, veal, pork and lamb meat in the
period January through May compared with the year- earlier period, when
sales were hurt by the BSE and foot-and-mouth diseases. Consumption is
still 14.3 percent lower than in the same period in 2000, ZMP said.
Meat sales may drop in coming months. Germany has found animal feed
contaminated with the MPA growth hormone in 12 of its 16 states, the
newspaper Die Welt said today, citing Renate Kuenast, the agriculture and
consumer affairs minister. Kuenast advised German consumers to avoid cheap
meat products.
The lacklustre meat sales "may have to do with the most recent animal feed
scandals" and with "the economic situation," the agency said in a faxed
press release.
******
[2]
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Yahoo News / Europa Press - Spanish 16 Jul 2002 [Trans. and edited
by Mod.MPP]
<http://es.news.yahoo.com/020716/4/236jq.html>

Portugal reported 49 cases of "Mad Cow Disease" during the first half of
this year
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Portugal reported 49 cases BSE in bovines ("mad cow disease") during the
first half of this year, according to information in the monthly news
release which will be analyzed by the Portuguese Minister of Agriculture in
a meeting of the BSE Commission tomorrow.
This figure represents an increase in 8 cases for the same period last
year, although it does not necessarily implicate an increase in the
epidemic in this country. During the current year, Portugal has conducted
42 000 rapid analyses compared with 5000 completed during the first half of
2002, according to an explanation provided by the General Veterinary
Directorate, cited by the Lusa agency.
After a year of lifting the embargo on beef placed by Brussels, Portugal
still has not received petitions for exportation of this product, in spite
of improved internal market.
In this sense, during the last year, the national consumption of beef had
reached a level similar to that registered before the outbreak of "mad cow
disease" was identified, which resulted in a 3-year embargo, placing the
average consumption at 17.8 kg per inhabitant, according to the data from
the Federation of Beef Producers of Portugal.
[Byline: Begona P. Sanchez]
******
[3]
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: EU report for 2001 on BSE monitoring and testing, June 2001 [edited]
<http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/bse/bse45_en.pdf>

Monitoring and testing of bovine animals for the presence of Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in 2001 (Summary)
-------------------------------------------------
In 2001, a total of 8 516 227 bovine animals were tested in the framework
of the monitoring programme, 2153 of which turned out positive.
8 457 539 bovine animals were tested by active monitoring (rapid tests on
risk animals and animals slaughtered for human consumption) while 3634
bovine animals were tested in the passive surveillance (animals reported as
BSE suspects by the farmer or the veterinary practitioner and subject to
laboratory examination).
In addition, 58 901 animals were tested in the framework of BSE
eradication. 49 percent of positive cases were detected by the Active
Monitoring and 51 percent were detected by Passive Surveillance.
Positive cases were found in all Member States except Luxembourg and Sweden.
******
[4]
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: EU press release 18 Jul 2002 [edited]
<http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/health_consumer/library/press/press242_en.pdf>

BSE: Export rules under the Date-Based Export Scheme changed
------------------------------------------------------------
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health voted in favour
of a European Commission proposal changing the rules for the dispatch from
the United Kingdom of bovine products under the Date-Based Export Scheme
(DBES).
Under the existing rules, slaughterhouses and processing plants operating
under the scheme cannot be used for the slaughter or processing of non-DBES
eligible animals and only deboned meat can be exported. The proposal
removes the requirement for dedication of slaughterhouses and processing
plants.
Companies participating in the export scheme will also be authorised to
slaughter and process DBES-ineligible bovine animals provided that adequate
separation arrangements are in place. The proposal also foresees
authorising the export of bovine embryos and removes the requirement for
DBES beef from animals between 6 and 9 months to be deboned. The new rules
will enter into force after formal adoption by the Commission.
[The DBES was adopted by the European Commission in a Decision of 28 Nov
1998 to allow for exports of beef from the UK. The aim was to permit
exports of deboned beef, and beef products, derived from cattle born after
1 Aug 1996. The Decision detailed the eligibility criteria for DBES
animals, the products which could be exported and the main requirements
applying to DBES slaughterhouses. Those slaughterhouses had to be dedicated
to animals eligible for export (i.e., they could not slaughter any cattle
that were ineligible).
After slaughter, DBES meat had to be cut and processed in plants dedicated
to products eligible for export. - Mod. AS].
******
[5]
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002
From: Matias Sacla <msacla@yahoo.com>
Source: Yahoo news citing Reuters, 19 Jul 2002 [edited]
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&u=/nm/20020719/hl_nm/beef_madcow_dc_1&printer=1>

France finds BSE-risk material in beef
---------------------------------------
PARIS: French slaughterhouses have failed to remove cattle parts banned for
their risk of carrying "mad cow" disease, authorities said on Friday, days
after the government refused to lift an illegal embargo on British beef.
French veterinary services found that over 10 percent of cattle carcasses
about to enter the food chain still contained banned spinal cord, the food
safety agency AFSSA said, detailing an inquiry conducted last year. Spinal
cord has been banned in the European Union since 1996 to protect consumers
from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the fatal human version of mad cow
disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The authorities, who stressed the inquiry was conducted before a French law
came into force requiring slaughterhouses use vacuum pumps to strip
carcasses instead of manual cutting, said residues were as big as 20
centimeters in 2 percent of cases. Significant amounts of other so-called
SRMs (specified risk materials) such as tonsils and thymus were also found
in 32 abattoirs last year, the authorities said.
The European Commission said on Wednesday it was sending France to court
for a second time for failing to lift a ban on British beef imports,
requesting a daily fine of 158 250 euros. France said its position on the
embargo remained unchanged in the light of the Commission's decision.
******
[6]
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: The Jerusalem Post, 10 Jul 2002 [edited]
<http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/Full&cid=1025787742673>

Israel, PA to work together in fighting spread of Mad Cow Disease
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Israel and the Palestinian Authority are to join forces to prevent Mad Cow
Disease spreading in the area. Agriculture Ministry Director-General Itche
Lidor met on Monday with his counterpart from the Palestinian Authority,
Mahmoud Abu Samra, at the Erez crossing to coordinate action on fighting
the spread of the disease.
"It is in everyone's interest to prevent an outbreak of the disease in this
area," said Ministry of Agriculture spokeswoman Tali Sultanik.
The PA agreed to take measures similar to those already taken in Israel on
meat destined for consumption. Brain samples will be taken from cattle
slaughtered in the Gaza Strip and sent to the Veterinary Service
laboratories in Beit Dagan, where samples from Israeli livestock are
already tested. Only after receiving a clean bill of health will the meat
be made available to the public.
The Agriculture Ministry will cover the costs of the tests and members of
its Animal and Vegetation Inspection Unit will bring the samples to the
laboratory. To learn more about the tests involved and to finalize the
details of the work arrangement, 2 Palestinian vets will visit Beit Dagan.
At first the program will involve only beef from the Gaza Strip, but hopes
are to include meat from the West Bank in the future.
Lidor and Samra also discussed easing restrictions on produce imports from
Gaza into Israel. The movement of agricultural produce from Gaza to Israeli
consumers has been severely affected by security considerations brought on
by the tensions in the area.
[Byline: Stuart Winer]
--
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