Mad cow disease divisions continue
The Swedish agriculture minister, Margareta Winberg, stated on 4 December that the new procedure of combating BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in Europe by slaughtering cows over 30 months old that have not been screened for the disease is a waste. She highlighted that the move does not reflect well against a background of world hunger and the legality of tobacco in Europe, which kills 500,000 people a year in the region. Her comments come following the revelation by the UK food standards agency that, despite the introduction of tight controls, meat containing spinal cord has been passed as fit to eat in at least two spot checks carried out. Spinal cord is banned in meat for human consumption as it is among the most infective parts of cattle that may not show signs of the infection. Responsibility for the lapses lay with a government meat inspector and a contract vet, rather than with the abattoir workers. The news comes at a particularly awkward time for the UK, as it is due to receive European Commission vets early in 2001 to inspect its anti-BSE measures. The UK has also announced plans to introduce 'single use' surgical equipment in tonsils operations, to reduce the chance of vCJD infection. The equipment will be used for tonsillectomies, as there is a very small risk that the vCJD could be passed from one patient to another due to tonsils potentially acting as a safe haven for the prions involved in vCJD. The move will cost the UK government £25 million a year (around 16 million euro). A further £200 million (around 125 million euro) is to be spent on modernising decontamination and sterilisation facilities to prevent transmission of CJD.