BSE case shows that strict control measures work
The farm and red meat sectors yesterday said that while the identification of a single case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) on a farm in Aberdeenshire was “disappointing”, it was not out of line with the experience of other countries.
The authorities also stressed that the swift identification and implementation of restrictions on the farm highlighted how effective the strict control measures were at ensuring public health.
And while commentators admitted that the consequent loss of the country’s “negligible risk” status represented a knock to Scotland’s lead in opening up new export markets, they stressed Scotland would only be returning to the same footing as England and Wales.
Scotland’s last case was in 2009, “negligible risk” status conferred in May 2017. However, the “snakes and ladders” nature of the regulations mean that the single case will see Scotland return to “controlled” status. “Negligible risk” status can only be regained after 11 years since the birth of the last confirmed case, which means it is likely to be 2024 before Scotland can re-apply for the lowest level risk status again.
But the head of the country’s
meat promotion body, Quality Meat Scotland chairwoman Kate Rowell, said she did not anticipate that the return to “controlled risk” status would have any serious implications on export market growth.
Stressing that there were no human health implications, she said QMS was strongly urging the media to report the single case responsibly and accurately to avoid any unjustified concern from the public.
She said: “The reality is that sporadic cases, such as the one confirmed this week, do occur and have also been reported in other countries. The Scottish red meat industry has built a global reputation for the quality of its beef and we developed this with controlled risk (CR) status until 2017 when that changed to negligible risk status.”
A spokesman added that QMS would still be proudly flying the flag for Scotland at the world’s largest meat export fair, SIAL, in Paris next week.
Martin Morgan, executive manager with the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, also remained confident.
He said: “The fact that both France and Ireland went through exactly the same return to CR status as we are facing today, also due to isolated BSE cases, means that we are not entering unchartered waters in terms of the European industry.
“We remain extremely upbeat about the Scottish beef industry, therefore, and our ability to compete strongly in the global meat market.”
NFU Scotland president Andrew Mccornick said that while the news was disappointing, it was not unexpected to see a new case, and its identification demonstrated the efficacy of the surveillance measures in place.
He said: “This simply brings us back in line with the rest of Great Britain, reverting back to where we were 18 months ago.”
Scotland’s Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said that while it was too early to identify the source of the disease, she urged any farmer with concerns to seek veterinary advice.