EASTERN EUROPE: BSE ‘present’ in eastern Europe

The Scientific Steering Committee of the European Union has advised that it is "likely" that BSE is present in the cattle herds of Albania, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. In an assessment of non-EU countries, the committee has also said that it is unlikely that BSE is present in the herds of India, Pakistan, Colombia and Mauritius, although the risk "cannot be excluded." Finally, the committee - which advises the European Commission – has claimed that it is "highly unlikely" that the disease is present in the cattle of Brazil and Singapore. The Committee found that all the European countries examined have imported "live cattle and meat-and-bone-meal from EU countries" with BSE.