On Friday, the Scottish government confirmed the presence of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, at a farm in the southwest of the country.
This marks the first British case of the disease in over two years.
In response to the confirmed case of mad cow disease, the government has implemented precautionary movement restrictions at affected premises and on animals that have had contact with the case in Ayrshire, as stated in an official statement.
Ongoing investigations are being conducted to determine the origin of the disease at the farm, with the Scottish government emphasizing that there is no risk to human health.
“I want to reassure both farmers and the public that the risk associated with this isolated case is minimal.
“But, if any farmers are concerned, I would urge them to seek veterinary advice,” stated Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas.
BSE was initially detected in Britain in the late 1980s, subsequently spreading to other parts of Europe and causing significant harm to cattle herds until the early 2000s. It has been linked to the brain-wasting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
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