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Q. What is BSE?



Q. Where does BSE come from?


Experiments have shown that cattle can contract BSE if they are fed infected brain tissue. This supports the idea that BSE was transmitted to cattle through their animal feed.


Q. What danger is BSE to people?


CJD is not a new disease among humans, but in 1996, scientists discovered a new strain of CJD that occurs predominantly in younger people. The protein that accumulates in the brains of individuals with this new form of CJD is similar to the protein found in cattle infected with BSE, rather than that found in classical CJD. The new illness in humans is therefore known as variant CJD or vCJD.


Where an animal has BSE the prion will be concentrated in a limited number of tissues such as the brain and spinal cord. These tissues are defined as Specified Risk Materials (SRM). SRM from all cattle are systematically removed from the food chain and are disposed of by rendering, followed by incineration. Removal and destruction of SRM is the principal public health/food safety control.

Q. How is BSE being controlled in Ireland ?



The following risk reduction measures are in place in Ireland :

  • Ante-mortem examination, by a veterinary inspector, of all animals prior to slaughter at all abattoirs and verification of each animal's status via the CMMS, ensures that only healthy animals are slaughtered for human consumption.
  • Detailed post-mortem examination of all beef carcasses and offals.
  • The screening of all suspect cattle using an approved test.
  • Removal of all Specified Risk Material (SRM) at the abattoir.
  • The processing of all SRM in a high temperature, high-pressure process at designated facilities, supervised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • The exclusion of all meat and bone meal products from the animal feed chain.

Q. What is Specified Risk Material (SRM)?

SRM are the parts of cattle most likely to carry the BSE prion and these are systematically removed from the carcase at the abattoir. These parts are:

  • The skull excluding the mandible and including the brain, eyes and the spinal cord of animals aged over 12 months
  • The tonsils, the last four metres of the small intestine, the caecum and the mesentery of animals of all ages 
  • The vertebral column excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the spinous and tranverse processes of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and the median sacral crest and wings of the sacrum, but including the dorsal root ganglia, of animals aged over 30 months.

Last reviewed: 8/7/2015

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