Plan to ease BSE rules
The EFSA has recommended that the age limit for the removal of the brain and spinal cord from cattle be raised from a year to 21 months.
The safety authority has concluded that the bovine central nervous system is now unlikely to become infectious until an animal is considerably older than 12 months. Its proposals have now gone to the European Commission.
Meanwhile, the average age of cattle infected with BSE in the EU has increased to 108 months, from 86 months during the 2001 to 2004 period.
This trend, most likely due to effective control measures, saw the minimum age for infection rise from 28 months in 2001 to 42 months in 2004.
All member states currently test cattle over 30 months of age destined for human consumption for BSE. Under these regulations, the bones of cattle, sheep and goats cannot be used for the production of mechanically recovered meat.
The UK prohibits the sale for human consumption of meat from cattle aged over 30 months. The only exception is meat from animals belonging to herds under the UK’s assurance scheme, which designates farms with low BSE risk and which may be slaughtered at up to 42 months for human consumption.
