oh **** - it could be back

foxy farmer

Capercaillie wrote: »

MBM was great feeding for cattle. It's a waste it's all incinerated now.

Sent to Germany I believe. Where the cow in question originated.

foxy farmer

None of the recent food scares BSE pork dioxin or horsemeat were caused by farmers. They were all as a result of cutting corners in allied industries. Farm to fork traceability is a waste of time when the feed processors won't play by the book. We buy feedstuff under the assumption that its safe but as the saying goes assumption is the mother of all fcuk ups.

Brown Podzol

tanko wrote: »

Was the animal feed which caused BSE in this country produced here or was it imported?

I think MBM was banned in England before it was banned here. The rumours were that some cute hoors here bought what was in the pipeline in the UK for a song and sold it here through feed mills.

foxy farmer

How many suckler herds were depopulated with BSE here back in the day? Surely there should have been some fairly old cows knocking around. Any time it was featured on tv we were always shown the same old friesian.
6 herds cleaned out within 3 miles of me. All dairy. 2 of them were just over the bounds ditch.

greysides

Margaret Donnelly June 26, 2015

http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/louth-bse-case-full-report-of-positive-case/

Louth BSE case – full report of positive case

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has reported the full background to the BSE case in Co. Louth.

Based on information received on from the Irish Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Martin Blake, Chief Veterinary Officer the OIE says the Department of Agriculture in Ireland was first of a positive result to a rapid screening test on Tuesday, June 9.

It was Thursday, June 11, when the Department made the result public.

The OIE says that the case first started when the animal, a Rotbunt female, born on 14 January 2010, went down. The animal was born, reared and spent its entire life on the same farm.

The farmer reported that the animal had fallen on 24 February 2015 but had recovered. The animal fell once again on June 6, 2015.

The animal did not recover and the farmer took the decision to have the animal euthanized. Approximately six weeks prior to death the farmer had noted that the animal had lost body condition, milk yield reduced, and the animal displayed some neurological signs such as nervousness and hyperexcitability.

The suspect animal was sampled by DAFM staff at a knackery as part of the on-going official sampling of all fallen (died on farm) animals of 48 months and older.

The sample material and the brain were subsequently forwarded to the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) where samples from different brain areas were subject to confirmatory testing using an OIE-approved confirmatory Western blot method (Biorad TeSeE).

In addition, the samples were subject to a two-blot protocol for the classification of BSE isolates. All the samples had an identical molecular pattern indicating classical BSE. In accordance with NRL protocols, samples from the animal were then sent for histopathology and immunohistochemistry on the medulla of the brain. These are further OIE confirmatory testing methods for BSE.

In addition, samples were also forwarded to the European Union Reference Laboratory in Weybridge, United Kingdom. Final confirmatory test results were received from both laboratories on June 25, 2015, confirming the case to be classical BSE.

Both the dam and grand-dam of the infected animal were tested for BSE when they were slaughtered as healthy animals in 2006 and in 2013. Both animals tested negative for BSE.

The identification of the ‘cohort’ group took into account animals born in the herd in the same year (2010) as the case, in the previous year (2009) and the following year (2011). The objective was to identify those animals which might have consumed the same feed as the case animal. Sixty three animals were still alive.

With regard to the progeny of the cow, all four animals were identified. All progeny and cohort animals that had been identified, traced and restricted were removed and slaughtered on June 22, 2015. Samples from all these animals were subjected to testing for BSE. Results from these tests were delivered on June 23, 2015 – all 67 animals tested negative.

foxy farmer

Surely be to God they can't expect us to believe that its contaminated feed is the cause. After all the measures and restrictions that were brought in contamination should be highly unlikely.
If it was routine sampling that picked up this animal how did they manage to get hold of the brain? Would have thought that the carcass would be gone for rendering fairly quick. Especially in the summer heat.

Capercaillie

foxy farmer wrote: »

Surely be to God they can't expect us to believe that its contaminated feed is the cause. After all the measures and restrictions that were brought in contamination should be highly unlikely.
If it was routine sampling that picked up this animal how did they manage to get hold of the brain? Would have thought that the carcass would be gone for rendering fairly quick. Especially in the summer heat.

All casualties in factory are BSE tested. All cattle that go to knackers are BSE tested as well. Granted if the beast was well rotten and brainstem was rotten you would not get an accurate result.

Count Mondego

greysides wrote: »

Both the dam and grand-dam of the infected animal were tested for BSE when they were slaughtered as healthy animals in 2006 and in 2013. Both animals tested negative for BSE.

So this animal didn't contract the disease in the womb, which means we can't blame Germany anymore!.......that's a pity....

foxy farmer

Capercaillie wrote: »

All casualties in factory are BSE tested. All cattle that go to knackers are BSE tested as well. Granted if the beast was well rotten and brainstem was rotten you would not get an accurate result.

I know that and have seen it done but after the routine samples were taken in the knackery surely a few days had passed before BSE was suspected. They then got further brain samples from the animal. Do they keep the heads or what? Did they intercept the carcass again before rendering to get the brain tested?

Farmer Pudsey

foxy farmer wrote: »

I know that and have seen it done but after the routine samples were taken in the knackery surely a few days had passed before BSE was suspected. They then got further brain samples from the animal. Do they keep the heads or what? Did they intercept the carcass again before rendering to get the brain tested?

I imagine that the sample taken is large enough to be split. When it is split one part is tested and the other portion is frozen until result is known.