First BSE case reported in Norway

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has confirmed the country’s first ever case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in a 15-year-old cow in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway.

Also known as mad cow disease, it was confirmed after tests in EU reference laboratory in England.

BSE is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from infection by an unusual transmissible agent called prion.

First diagnosed in Britain in 1986, more than 184,500 cases of BSE had been confirmed in the UK through the end of 2010.

Researchers discovered that the original variant of BSE, also called classic BSE, can be transmitted to humans through infected meat products.

However, the detection of BSE has no bearing on food safety and it is as safe to eat meat and drink milk as before, the authority said.

FSA supervising director Kristina Landsverk said: "We have solid procedures in place to ensure that no infected material gets into our food."

The diseased cow has been killed and its parts such as brain, spinal cord and the intestines have been destroyed.

Landsverk added: "EU regulations require that we detect, kill and destroy animals that have been in proximity to the cow in question, either because they are direct offspring of the cow or because they are born in the same place within a period of one year before and after the cow came into the world."

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Image: Authorities have said that the detection of atypical BSE has no bearing on food safety in Norway. Photo: courtesy of graur razvan ionut/freedigitalphotos.net.