According to officials, a single case of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, has been detected on a farm in Essex.
The government said that the animal was humanely killed and there is no threat to public health. The non-contiguous case of BSE is not destined to enter the public food chain.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has confirmed that the atypical strain of the disease will not harm food safety.
Officials confirmed that it is a naturally occurring and non-contagious brain disease. The disease occurs spontaneously in cattle, but rarely.
The Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said that a single case of mad cow disease has been detected in a farm in Essex. The official added that the infected animal died on the farm and was tested according to their strict routine controls and surveillance regime.
The Deputy Director of Food Policy, Dr James Cooper, at the Food Standards Agency reassured and said that there is no food safety risk.
The official added that there are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of mad cow disease in Essex. They have more controls on animal feed, and the removal of the parts of cattle prone to carrying BSE infectivity.
The officials reconfirmed that these essential protection measures remain in place. The FSA official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors are working together in England to ensure that the safety of the consumers remains their top priority.
During the 1990s, the BSE epidemic, millions of cattle were killed to control the spread of the disease in the human food chain. In 1992/93, there were approximately 100,000 confirmed cases, and as per the record, almost 180,000 cows were affected during that period.
Humans who eat meat from the infected cattle are prone to developing the fatal brain condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). During the 1990s outbreak, 178 people in the UK died because of eating tainted beef during the epidemic.
However, this latest version of BSE has been confirmed that it is not to be contagious. Moreover, as per the officials, the latest BSE infection does not pose a threat to other animals and the food chain.
Mad cow disease detected on Essex farm
