Mad cow disease confirmed on Essex farm
The cow that had the disease has been humanely killed, the government has confirmed (Picture: Shutterstock)
A single case of mad cow disease has been confirmed on a farm in Essex.
The government confirmed the cow was humanely put down and there was no risk to public health or food safety as the cow was not destined to enter the food chain.
Mad cow disease, also known as Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a non-contagious disease in cows which is different from 'classical' BSE, which is linked to contaminated feed.
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.
'A typical 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.'
Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s during a BSE epidemic.
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