Single case of atypical BSE found in cow in Essex
Officials said there was no risk to public health or food safety and the animal was not destined to enter the food chain.
Atypical BSE is a naturally occurring and non-contagious brain disease and occurs spontaneously, but rarely, in cattle, officials said.
It is distinct from classical BSE which is linked to contaminated animal feed, and was responsible for the UK's 'mad cow disease' outbreak in the 1980s and 1990s that led to the culling of millions of cattle and caused fatal variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) in people.
Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: 'A single case of atypical BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Essex.
'The animal died on farm and was tested as part of our strict routine controls and surveillance regime.
'Atypical BSE is distinct from classical BSE and is a spontaneously and sporadically occurring, non-contagious disease which is believed to occur at a very low level in all cattle populations.
'This is proof that our surveillance system for detecting and containing this type of disease is working.'
Dr James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency said: 'There is no food safety risk.
'There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity.
'Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
UK supermarket giant urgently pulls pasta dish from shelves over dangerous health risk and warns shoppers ‘do NOT eat'
A SUPERMARKET has recalled a chicken pasta dish in a major allergy alert. Waitrose has pulled its Waitrose & Partners Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta because it contains mustard, which is not mentioned on the label. 1 This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to mustard. The Food Standards Agency said: "Waitrose is recalling the above product from customers and has been advised to contact the relevant allergy support organisations, which will tell their members about the recall. "The company has also issued a point-of-sale notice to its customers. "These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product." It adds: "If you have bought the above product and have an allergy to mustard, do not eat it. "Instead return it to your local Waitrose & Partners branch for a refund. "You can contact Waitrose Customer Care on 0800 188 884, Option 4." Your product recall rights CHIEF consumer reporter James Flanders reveals all you need to know. Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods. As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action. But it's often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk. If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer's website to see if a safety notice has been issued. When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you - the customer - to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don't there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault. If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer. They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice. In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected. You should not be charged for any recall work - such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item.
Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
Waitrose pulls pasta dish that could be dangerous
Waitrose pulls pasta dish that could be dangerous The Food Standards Agency has circulated a warning Waitrose supermarket has issued a product recall A chicken and pasta dish which could prove dangerous for some people has been pulled from the shelves by Waitrose. The chain is recalling Waitrose & Partners Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta because it contains mustard which is not mentioned on the label. This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to mustard. The recall covers 375g packages with a use-by date of August 27. Waitrose is recalling the product from customers and has been advised to contact the relevant allergy support organisations, which will tell their members about the recall. The company has also issued a point-of-sale notice to its customers. These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Article continues below A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said: "If you have bought the above product and have an allergy to mustard, do not eat it. Instead return it to your local Waitrose & Partners branch for a refund. You can contact Waitrose Customer Care on 0800 188 884, Option 4. "Sometimes there will be a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold. Then it might be 'withdrawn' (taken off the shelves) or 'recalled' (when customers are asked to return the product). Sometimes foods have to be withdrawn or recalled if there is a risk to consumers because the allergy labelling is missing or incorrect or if there is any other food allergy risk. When there is a food allergy risk, the FSA will issue an Allergy Alert."
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Major UK supermarket with 300 stores urgently recalls popular ready meal over dangerous health risk
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR UK supermarket with 300 stores has urgently recalled a popular ready meal over a dangerous health risk. Farmfoods issued a warning over the Indian-inspired takeaway meal because of allergy fears. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Farmfoods has recalled its Ultimate Keralan Chicken Curry meal Credit: Farmfoods Farmfoods is recalling its Farmfoods Ultimate Keralan Chicken Curry because it contains prawns which are not mentioned on the label. The product contains crustaceans (prawns) which are not mentioned on the packing. Farmfoods said it poses a "potential health risk" to "individuals with seafood allergies or intolerances". The recall covers food with the product code L550 in a 400g pack and a best before date of February 13 2026. Shoppers are being asked to return the affected items to their nearest store, where a full refund will be provided. No receipt is needed for you to return the pack. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) added: "For further information, please contact Farmfoods customer services on 0121 700 7160." Farmfoods said in its warning notice: "It has come to our attention that a limited quantity of our 400g Farmfoods Keralan Chicken Curry (product code L550) with 13/02/2026 best-before date were mistakenly produced with prawns. "This ingredient is not declared on the product label, posing a potential health risk to individuals with seafood allergies or intolerances. "If you have this product and have any type of seafood allergy or intolerance, please do not consume the product. Viral 'Dubai-style' chocolate is pulled from UK supermarket shelves over dangerous health risk "Please return the affected product to the store where the product was purchased for a full refund. No receipt is required. "We take consumer safety very seriously and sincerely apologise to our loyal customers for this situation and any inconvenience it may have caused. The best before date is shown on the bottom right corner of the front of pack." The FSA says more than 30 per cent of adults report some types of adverse reactions when eating food. Around 6 per cent of the UK adult population is estimated to have a clinically confirmed food allergy. This equates to around 2.4 million adults in the UK. It comes after a Dubai-style chocolate was pulled from supermarket shelves across the UK, after being found to pose a dangerous health risk. A food alert has been issued to consumers and food businesses warning of the possible health risks the chocolate products present. Dubai-style chocolate products that have been purchased from certain manufacturers were the subject of the recall. Last month, the Food Standards Agency issued a similar warning about the Neosis Schokolade Love of Dubai chocolate too, due to it containing peanuts. Shops were told to immediately stop sales of the product, as this was not mentioned on the label.
