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In response to both animal and public health
threats resulting from transmissible spongiform encephalopaties (TSEs), such as
BSE (mad cow disease) which is linked to new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
in humans, the European Commission has taken a series of measures to manage the
risk of TSE's.
Framework Regulation 999/2001
(consolidated version published in July 2008) was adopted
in May 2001, with the intention to supersede all existing TSE legislation.
It established rules for the monitoring of TSE in bovine, ovine and caprine
animals, the removal of Specified Risk Material (SRM) and prohibitions
concerning animal feeding. It introduced measures for the eradication of
TSE, rules covering intra- and extra-Community trade and criteria to
classify the BSE status of member states and third countries. Certain
requirements, including removal of SRM's, would then be applied to a country
depending on its classification.
Regulation 1923/2006 amends Regulation 999/2001 in order to adopt the BSE
classification of countries into 3 categories under OIE (World Organization for
Animal Health) rules and to correct discrepancies with
Regulation 1774/2002 on animal by-products.
More details on current EU TSE legislation can be found on the
Commission's website.
Amendments
to Framework Regulation 999/2001 & TSE Roadmap
Since its adoption,
Regulation 999/2001 has been amended several times to
adjust it to new developments and scientific evidence. A comprehensive
chronological list of BSE/TSE legislation
in the EU is available on the European Commission's website. The EU's
measures to fight TSE's have led to a significant reduction in cases.
Based on this improved situation, the Commission has presented a
"TSE
Roadmap" on a short, medium-term and long-term strategy. This
document suggests possible amendments to the EU's current TSE legislation for
the next decade (see
GAIN Report
E35164). Because of the rapid decline on BSE cases, the EU updated its
work plan in November of 2007 in a
Commission Staff Working Document (see GAIN Report E48101).
Amendments in the short and
medium term (2005-2009) are in the fields of:
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Age
requirements for removal of Specified Risk Material (SRM) to be raised from
12 to 24 months. This has been addressed in
Commission Regulation 1974/2005 of
December 2, 2005. |
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Feed Ban: the need
to abandon the zero-tolerance and a relaxation of the fishmeal ban. This has
been addressed in
Commission Regulation 1292/2005 of August
5, 2005. |
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Monitoring Programs:
reducing the number of BSE testing in line with
epidemiological considerations. The finding of a BSE case in Sweden in
March 2006 has actually led to the extension of the BSE monitoring to Sweden
by
Commission Regulation 688/2006. |
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Categorization of countries according to their
BSE risk based on OIE categorization rules
Commission Decision 2007/453/EC, amended by
Commission Decision 2008/829/EC (new Annex). |
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Review of culling policy with regard to TSE’s
in small ruminants. The finding in 2006 of BSE in sheep has led to
increased monitoring of TSE's in small ruminants as required in
Commission Regulation 1041/2006. |
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Cohort culling in bovine animals. |
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Restrictions on UK beef exports to be lifted.
Commission Regulation 657/2006 removed the ban on exports of cattle and
beef products from the U.K. as of May 2006. |
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Switch to revised system of categorization of
countries according to their BSE risk status, based on OIE categorization
rules.
Regulation 1932/2006 amends Regulation 991/2001 to provide for this
switch. |
Amendments in the long-term (2009-2014)
include:
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A gradual decrease in the level of surveillance
to a level in line with OIE recommendations. Criteria for the revision
of EU Member State annual BSE monitoring programs have been set in
Commission Regulation 571/2008 of June 18, 2008. |
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A complete revision of the need for the removal
of SRM’s. |
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The introduction of a system of certification
of herds. |
The United States is required to remove SRM's from animal products for export to the EU.
Commission Decision 2007/453/EC of June 29, 2007, clasffied the U.S. under
countries or regions with a controlled BSE risk, in line with the new OIE
classification.
Regulation EC 1471/2004 of 18 August 2004,
introduced requirements for the import of cervid
products from Canada and the United States. This regulation imposes the removal
of Specific Risk Materials (SRM) from all cervid meats exported to the EU and
limits exports of wild game to areas free of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) as from
January 1, 2005.
EU-27 | EU-15
increases age for mandatory BSE testing
GAIN report E48117 (October 2008).
 On
October 14, 2008, the Standing Committee on the Food Chain & Animal Health (SCoFCAH)
decided to increase the mandatory testing age for mad cow disease (BSE) in the
EU-15 to 48 months. Currently testing age is 30 months for healthy cattle at
slaughter and 24 months for all at risk cattle. It is expected that this new
measure can lead to a 25-35 percent decrease in testing of cattle at slaughter
depending on the Member State. The decrease in testing of at risk cattle will be
much lower.
EU-27 | EFSA
publishes two opinions on BSE testing levels in cattle
GAIN report E48083 (July 2008). On July 17, 2008, the
Biological Hazards Panel (BIOHAZ) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
has published two opinions on the monitoring of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
(BSE) in cattle in the EU-15. Increasing the age for testing for BSE from the
present 30 months to 36 or 48 months of age for slaughtered cattle would likely
lead to less than one missed BSE case in cattle annually in the whole EU-15. A
Belgian question to EFSA asked what number of cases would be missed if the EU-15
stopped testing cattle born after 31/12/2003, which is 3 years after the “total
feed ban” was introduced. EFSA replied that amongst those animals born in a
given year in the EU-15 fewer than 6 cases would be expected to be missed.
Update of the
BSE situation in 2007 GAIN report E48101 (September 2008)
EU Directorate
for Health and Consumer Protection presents its TSE Roadmap
GAIN report E35164 (August, 2005):
On July 15, 2005, DG SANCO presented a whole series
of possible amendments to its TSE policy in its "TSE Roadmap. These possible
amendments to EC Regulation 999/2001 result from recent years' improvement in
the EU-25 BSE situation and also addresses recent problems that have come up
with the current measures. These amendments could halve the cost of the present
BSE/TSE measures in the EU or more. Some of these amendments could also lower
the present burden on some U.S. exports of processed animal by-products.
"USDA releases BSE prevalence estimate for U.S." (USDA News Release - April
2006)
BSE - U.S. Departments of
Agriculture / FAS
BSE/Scrapie
- European Commission / DG Health and Consumer Protection
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