A case of classical BSE was detected through routine surveillance in Scotland and confirmed on August 19 following two positive laboratory tests. The animal did not enter the food chain, and authorities ruled out any risk to human health.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy was detected in a seven-and-a-half-year-old homebred cow that was pregnant and found dead without showing prior clinical signs on a 740-head suckler cow farm.
The case was notified to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) under event number 7773 and represents a recurrence of the disease in the area, where the previous case dated back to August 7, 2024. Authorities launched an epidemiological investigation to determine the source of infection, which remains unknown.
Control measures included the destruction of animal products, disposal of carcasses and by-products, movement restrictions and cattle traceability.
All cohorts and offspring of the affected animal were identified and will be culled and tested for BSE. According to WOAH, the detection of this isolated case does not alter the negligible-risk status granted to Scotland or the United Kingdom as a whole.
