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Mad cow disease is still being detected, researcher warns

Professor Colin Masters, a leading expert on mad cow disease from the University of Melbourne’s Mental Health Research Institute says that British cattle are still contracting the deadly disease.

Although there has never been a confirmed case of mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in Australia, Masters has warned Australia not to “lower its guard” on imports as the blanket ban on affected countries has been lifted as reported by Weekly Times Now.

"There still are a few animals detected in the UK with BSE,'' Masters said. "The question is, where are they getting it from?

"I do think they've got it largely under control, but we're not completely sure it's 100 per cent safe.''

Masters who has advised both the British and Australian governments of the effects of BSE, recently spoke at a senate inquiry into beef imports stating that the horsemeat contamination scandal in Europe represented a ‘weak link’ in certifying imports

"To a large extent, we are dependent on certifications from countries of origin that their exports (and our imports) are BSE-free,'' he said.

"The difficulty in detecting BSE makes complete assurance of freedom of contamination very challenging.''

 

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