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<p>The measures to be followed in the event of suspicion of BSE are set out in UK
legislation, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (AHPA) are well prepared to carry
out the necessary actions. In the rare event that BSE is suspected, whole farm movement
restrictions are applied by APHA who then trace cohorts (animals that shared feed
with the affected animal during its first year of life) and any of its offspring born
in the last two years.</p><p> </p><p>In the event of the suspect case testing positive
for BSE, its cohorts and offspring are then humanely culled, samples are taken from
the brain stem for testing and the carcases are then destroyed, with the owners of
the culled animals receiving compensation. While it not believed that BSE can be transmitted
by mother to offspring during pregnancy ('vertical transmission') these animals are
culled, along with cohorts, on a precautionary basis.</p><p> </p><p>The APHA also
carry out a rolling national feed audit which inspects and takes samples at various
stages of the animal feed chain. This includes checks for prohibited processed animal
proteins in samples of feeding stuffs intended for farmed animals. If feed is non-compliant,
APHA inspectors look at the cause of contamination and make a decision based on the
risk. Depending on the severity, feed may have to be removed from the market, and
cattle exposed to it may be restricted or killed.</p><p> </p><p>We remain vigilant
to the threat posed by BSE and have a comprehensive surveillance programme in place
to monitor the level of BSE over time and check on the continued effectiveness of
our BSE controls. More detail on this is set out in Defra’s latest TSEs annual report
here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monitoring-programme-for-tses-annual-report-2021-and-2022"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monitoring-programme-for-tses-annual-report-2021-and-2022</a>.</p>
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