Authorities in Brazil have said that they are awaiting laboratory results from a suspected case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.

The country’s agriculture ministry said that the necessary biosecurity measures are being taken.

In a brief statement (translated from Portuguese), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock said: “Regarding the suspected case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, all measures are being adopted by government.”

The statement said that results from laboratory analysis would inform any further measures to be taken.

“The suspicion has already been submitted to laboratory analysis for confirmation…and, based on the result, the appropriate actions will be applied immediately,” authorities said.

This suspected case of BSE could have significant ramifications for Brazil’s beef exports.

In September 2021, beef exports from Brazil to China were temporarily halted after confirmation of two cases of ‘atypical’ BSE at two different meat processing facilities. China is a major market for Brazilian beef.

A similar situation arose in Ireland in 2020.

Beef shipments to China were suspended following the confirmation in May 2020 of an isolated case of atypical BSE in a 14-year-old cow in Co. Tipperary.

This suspension was only lifted last month. Following the confirmation that exports to China could resume, two Irish beef businesses began processing cattle for that market. Irish beef was en route to China as of yesterday.

Meanwhile, a case of BSE discovered in a cow in the Netherlands earlier this month has since been confirmed as an atypical case of the disease, according to reports by Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf.

Unlike classical BSE, atypical BSE has been identified more recently and is thought to occur spontaneously and sporadically in older animals, with a low incidence rate.

The EU has a large body of legislation in place to protect humans and animals from BSE.

These main measures include:

  • A ban on using animal protein in feed given to animals farmed for food production;
  • A monitoring system, including post mortem testing of at-risk animals over certain ages;
  • Compulsory removal and destruction of tissues containing the highest risk of BSE infectivity, such as brain and spinal cord tissue from bovine animals over a certain age;
  • Destruction of the carcass after a positive case.