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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 Jan. 2006) 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 into one of five
categories. Certain
requirements, including removal of SRM's, would then be applied to a country
depending on its classification. In June 2005,
Regulation 932/2005 was adopted to prolong transitional measures with two
years, until July 1, 2007, for countries whose BSE status has not been
determined yet.
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 also
GAIN Report
E35164)
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. |
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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. |
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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. However, in August 2004, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA)
published new scientific reports on the Geographical BSE Risk (GBR) classifications for seven countries
(see GAIN report E34050). The U.S. was classified in level three which means
"BSE is likely but not confirmed or confirmed at a lower level". The risk
assessment was based on information submitted by the countries concerned, and
relates in particular to imports of bovines and meat and bone meal from the UK
and other BSE-risk countries.
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 Midyear 2007
BSE update GAIN
report E47079 (September 2007): Except for a few Member States where BSE
development and implementation of preventive measures occurred in later years,
BSE incidences in EU Member States (MS) are falling rapidly. This decrease in
BSE incidences suggests that the EU is on track to significantly reduce BSE from
its cattle herds in the coming years, especially as the age of infected animals
is increasing with the years with virtually no cases in younger animals. As part
of its TSE Roadmap, the EU has changed its BSE risk classification system for
third countries to mirror the OIE system in December 2006. The increased
monitoring of TSEs in small ruminants is revealing high incidences in some MS,
especially Cyprus. It is yet too early to make any conclusions about the
development of TSEs in EU ovine and caprine herds.
BSE update on
the EU situation in 2006 GAIN report E47017
(March 2007): This 2006 update on the EU BSE/TSE situation shows another 40
percent decrease in BSE prevalence in EU cattle herds compared to 2005. An
update on new EU BSE/TSE-related legislation as part of the EU TSE Roadmap is
included.
EU Mid-year
2006 BSE update GAIN report
36122 (September 2006): This mid-year
2006 update on the EU BSE/TSE situation shows a further decrease in BSE
prevalence in EU cattle herds. This report also links to the latest EC BSE
monitoring report covering 2005. An update on new EU BSE/TSE-related legislation
as part of the EU TSE Roadmap is included.
BSE/TSE
Situation in the EU-25 - Update on 2005 GAIN report
36049 (March 2006): BSE cases in the
EU further decreased by 40 percent to about 500 cases in 2005. This favorable
development led the EC to adopt its TSE Roadmap in July of 2005, with the aim of
softening restrictions and reduce BSE/TSE testing costs. One of the goals is to
harmonize the EU BSE classification of countries with OIE classification. With
the UK number of BSE cases having decreased dramatically over the past years,
the OTMS was ended in November 2005 and the lifting of EU ban on British cattle
and beef exports was approved in March 2006. After the finding of BSE in a
French goat last year, suspicion of BSE in three sheep will lead to a
significant increase in testing of sheep for TSE's in the coming six months.
EU Mid-Year
2005 BSE update GAIN report
E35182 (September, 2005): BSE cases continue to fall in most EU member states.
This trend, together with new OIE guidelines and new scientific research, is
forcing DG SANCO to rethink its BSE measures and to suggest amendments to it.
These suggestions are grouped in the TSE Roadmap. The first amendments that have
been proposed concerned changes in the BSE monitoring, relaxation of the rules
on tallow and the end of the UK Over Thirty Month Scheme. In June 2005, the
European Food Safety Agency has published its BSE assessments of most
South-American countries and of New-Zealand. Chile was classified under GBR III
and Brazil under GBR II.
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.
EFSA publishes new report on the Geographical BSE Risk Assessment GAIN report
E34050 (August, 2004): In
August 2004 the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) published new scientific
reports on the GBR classifications for seven countries. The U.S. was classified
in level three which means "BSE is likely but not confirmed or confirmed at a
lower level". The risk assessment was based on information submitted by the
countries concerned, and relates in particular to imports of bovines and meat
and bone meal from the UK and other BSE-risk countries.
"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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