Two Atypical “Mad Cow” Cases Detected In Brazil, Exports To China Suspended | They said it would be a temporary measure

The Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil alerted to two atypical cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known as “mad cow disease”, and suspended its livestock exports to China.

This temporary measure, limited to the Asian giant, was taken in accordance with an existing bilateral protocol between the two countries, although the ministry assured that “There is no risk to human or animal health.”

According to the press release, these are indeed “atypical” cases, insofar as the disease appeared “spontaneously and sporadically, unrelated to the ingestion of contaminated food”.

The two cases were detected during health inspections, in Minas Gerais (south-east) and Mato Grosso (center-west), in “aged” cattle.

“This is the fourth and fifth case of BSE detected in more than 23 years of health surveillance of the disease; Brazil has never recorded a classic case of BSE, ”said the ministry, which officially notified the International Organization for Animal Health (OIE). .

A similar situation occurred in June 2019, when Brazil also temporarily suspended its cattle exports to China, following an atypical case of BSE detected in Mato Grosso, in a 17-year-old cow.

BSE first appeared in the UK in the 1980s and spread to many countries in Europe and the world, causing great concern among consumers and causing a serious crisis in the beef industry .