Chapter 11 : The Politics of Prions—BSE and World Trade

Abstract:

By the end of 2004, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had spread far beyond the United Kingdom, invading 20 European countries, Canada, the United States, and Japan. The first report of BSE in 1986 did not cause much of a stir outside Great Britain. But that began to change in December 1987, when it became clear that the disease had been transmitted in animal feed supplemented with ruminant meat and bone meal. The European Union (EU) also barred United Kingdom export of cattle born to cows that were either suspected or confirmed to be BSE positive. The two countries (United States and Canada) worked to coordinate their response to the threat of BSE from imported live cattle, beef, and animal feeds. It was not until May 16 that the regional lab completed its testing and reported finding evidence of BSE in the sample. On May 20, the international BSE reference laboratory in the United Kingdom confirmed the Canadian lab’s initial finding. Canada had identified its first homegrown BSE-positive cow. Much has been made of the need to control the spread of BSE and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The worldwide cost of surveillance and control of BSE internationally is in the billions of dollars. However, it has become increasingly evident that the risk of an individual contracting vCJD through having eaten BSE-affected beef is extremely low. Science-based policies, to be effective, must be based on the rational application of sound science.