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A case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, has been discovered on a British beef farm.
Aberdeenshire gets underway.
This is the first case of the disease in the UK and the first confirmed in Scotland since 2008, it is understood.
The last outbreak in Britain was in Wales in 2015 when the disease was discovered on a dead cow.
The UK death toll from BSE is currently at 177 since Stephen Churchill, 19, died in 1995.
Restrictions are in place at the farm in Scotland as an investigation into the outbreak continues.
A Scottish Government statement said: "This is a standard procedure for a confirmed case of BSE, which does not represent a threat to human health."
Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said: "I would like to seek veterinary advice."
Panic gripped the UK in 1995 as more than four million cattle were slaughtered to stop the spreading infection.
More than 180,000 cattle were thought to be struck down by the disease and imported into the UK between 1996 and 2006.
Only one person has died from mad cow disease in Britain since 2012.
The outbreak could have been a huge blow to British farmers ahead of Brexit – with fears already growing that could not kill the market.
It comes just a few months back from BSE crisis erupted 20 years ago.
America is also set to import British beef and lamb for the first time in 20 years – after branding the meat for consumption and banning it from the market.
IS MAD COW DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA?
Australian cattle are free of BSE, which attacks a central nervous system and often kills them.
Symptoms typically include a lack of co-ordination and aggression, leading to a known disease.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in 1996. The degenerative brain disorder can be found in humans if they eat mad cow-ridden meat.
If an Aussie contracts vCJD, it will likely be because they traveled regularly, or lived for some time in the UK from 1980 to 1996, according to the Australian Department of Health.
An outbreak in the UK in the late 1980s reached its peak in 1992/1993 with 100,000 confirmed cases. But there were two more recent cases in 2015.
The latest case has not affected humans.
This is an edited version of a story that originally appeared on The Sun. It is republished with permission.
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