A CASE of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy – BSE – has been confirmed on a farm in Aberdeenshire.

Thomas Jackson, the farmer of the affected herd has issued the following statement through NFU Scotland: “This has been a very difficult time for myself and my wife and we have found the situation personally devastating.

"We have built up our closed herd over many years and have always taken great pride in doing all the correct things.  To find through the surveillance system in place that one of our cows has BSE has been heart breaking.

“Since this has happened we have been fully cooperating with all the parties involved and will continue to do so as we like everyone want to move forward and clear up this matter," said Mr Jackson, of Boghead Farm in Lumsden, where he and his home-bred herd moved to in 2011, having previously farmed at Oxstalls Farm, Frampton Mansell, Stroud, Gloucester. 

“The cohorts and offspring of the cow have now been identified and as a purely precautionary measure they will be slaughtered and tested in due course; again we are fully co-operating with all the parties with regards to this,” he added.

The infected cow is the first BSE case confirmed in Scotland in ten years, and was identified as a result of the strict control measures that are still in place to monitor for the disease - which although now vanishingly rare, continues to appear spontaneously in individual animals at a very low rate. The last UK case was confirmed in Wales in 2015.

The animal involved - reportedly a five-year-old pedigree Aberdeen Angus cow - did not enter the human food chain and Food Standards Scotland has confirmed that there is no risk to human health as a result of this isolated case.

Despite this effective display of ongoing offical vigilance against BSE, the confirmation of even a single case of the headling-grabbing condition comes as a blow to the Scottish beef sector, at a time when its high-health status is a core selling point on domestic and international markets.

In line with the established disease prevention response plan, precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place at the farm, while further investigations to identify the origin of the disease are carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “Following confirmation of a case of classical BSE in Aberdeenshire, I have activated the Scottish Government’s response plan to protect our valuable farming industry, including a precautionary movement ban being placed on the farm.

“While it is important to stress that this is standard procedure until we have a clear understanding of the disease's origin, this is further proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working. Be assured that the Scottish Government and its partners stand ready to respond to any further confirmed cases of the disease in Scotland.”

Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said: “While it is too early to tell where the disease came from in this case, its detection is proof that our surveillance system is doing its job. We are working closely with APHA to answer this question, and in the meantime, I would urge any farmer who has concerns to immediately seek veterinary advice."

Food Standards Scotland Director of Operations Ian McWatt said: “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 Scotland Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors working in all abattoirs in Scotland will continue to ensure that in respect of BSE controls, the safety of consumers remains a priority. We will continue to work closely with Scottish Government, other agencies and industry at this time.”

All animals over four years of age that die on farm are routinely tested for BSE under Scotland's comprehensive surveillance system. Whilst the disease is not directly transmitted from animal to animal, an infected animal's cohorts, including offspring, are traced, isolated, and destroyed in line with EU requirements.

Quality Meat Scotland chair, Kate Rowell, who is also a farmer and qualified vet, strongly urged the media to report this single case responsibly and accurately to avoid any unjustified concern from the public.

“The reality is that sporadic cases, such as the one confirmed this week, do occur and have also been reported in other countries," said Ms Rowell. "The Scottish red meat industry has built a global reputation for the quality of its beef and we developed this with Controlled Risk (CR) status until 2017 when that changed to Negligible Risk (NR) status. Accordingly, we do not anticipate that the return to CR status, the same status as exists in England and Wales, will have any serious impact on export market growth.”

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick commented: “It is disappointing to learn of this BSE case within the Aberdeenshire area. Whilst we lose our negligible risk status, it is not unexpected to see a new case and demonstrates the efficacy of the surveillance measures in place.  This simply brings us back in line with the rest of Great Britain, reverting back to where we were 18 months ago.

“When Scotland applied for BSE negligible risk status it was with the full knowledge that there was every possibility of a sporadic case of BSE emerging as has been the case in France and Ireland.”

Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers executive manager Martin Morgan, said: “Today’s announcement is clearly disappointing for the whole Scottish beef industry. While this one isolated case does not pose any health risks, it returns our international trading status in relation to BSE to controlled risk, the same ranking as already applies in England and Wales.

"Member companies are already taking the necessary action to direct all SRM items to the appropriate disposal channels. The fact that both France and Ireland went through exactly the same return to CR status as we are facing today, also due to isolated BSE cases, means that we are not entering uncharted waters in terms of the European industry. We remain extremely upbeat about the Scottish beef industry, therefore, and our ability to compete strongly in the global meat market.”

North East region Scottish Conservative MSP Peter Chapman commented: "Firstly, I would like to express my sympathy to the farmer involved and their family.
"I recognise that having been BSE-free for so many years this will be a huge blow to the Scottish beef industry.
"However, I understand that precautionary movement have been put in place at the farm, and that further investigations are ongoing. There is therefore no reason to suspect that this has entered the food chain.
"I appreciate the Scottish Government’s quick response to date on this issue, and urge a similarly fast investigation to identify the origin of the disease."