Farm Assurance COPY Flashcards
What happened in 1996 which had a major impact on the farming industry, profession, practice and science?
10 cases of nVCJD and link with BSE and nvCJD reported in Parliament
= A disease of cattle became a potential disease that may wipe out 20,000 people
What was the impact of “mad cow disease” on the consumer?(6)
- Horror
- Betrayal
- Distrust
- Reduced consumption of meat
- Scepticism of scientists and politicians
- Media field day
After BSE, how do we restore consumer confidence? (5)
- Eradication of BSE
- Compliance with regulation
- Increased enforcement and audit
- Assurance of production method
- Industry self regulation
What was the effect of BSE on farming? (5)
- Collapse of export markets
- Reduced value and prices for meat which has only just returned
- Reduced beef production within UK
- More imports of beef
- Some of these effects related to global over production of beef
What were the indirect effects of BSE on livestock farming? (4)
–Changes in livestock production systems
–Growth of alternative farming systems
–Farm assurance and product certification
–Development of the “precautionary principle” and extension of HACCP into food production
BSE:
A) What is the incubation period?
B) What is it caused by?
C) What is the source of infection?
D) When is there vertical transmission?
A) 5 years
B) Consuming BSE infected brain material
C) Feed contaminated with MBM
D) Later stage of disease
BSE:
A) When was it identified in the UK?
B) What fueled the cattle to cattle outbreak?
C) How did it spread to other countries?
A) 1986
B) Infected cattle entered animal and human food chain and recyclign of BSE catle fuelled his
C) Export of infected MBM or cattle
How does BSE go about infecting cattle?
- Cattle infected by oral ingestion of contaminated feed
- Enters lymphoid tissue
- Affects brain
- Clinical disease develops ~5 years after exposure
- Lymphoid tissues, brain spinal cord high risk tissues
How do we control BSE in cattle?
Prevent consumption of BSE infected material in food
How do we control BSE in humans?
Protect consumption of BSE infected cattle and/or high risk tissues
What were the early controls of BSE in 1988? (3)
- Ruminant feed ban to prevent recycling of disease through cattle population
- BSE notifiable and diseased animals prevented from entering food chain
- 50% compensation paid to farmers for clinical cases for first 18 months
What were the problems which meant ruminant food ban was not fully effective? (6)
- MAFF instructed no ruminant feed to be fed to cattle (RMBM)
- Unaware of how small infective dose
- Cross contamination in feed mills
- Farmers fed food destined for other species
- No recall of food so food fed after date on farms.
- How effective was the ban????
What were the problems with controls between 1988 and1990? (4)
- Ruminant MBM ban Removal of suspect cows 1988
- Low compensation for farmer potentially “hide” disease
- Cross contamination or ruminant feed failed to prevent BSE recyling
- Key control point not effective leading to Born after the Ban animals (BAB)
What happened from 1990 for the Removal of Specified Offal’s/ High Risk Material from animal/human feed chain?
- Staining of offal’s with Methylene Blue
- Tightening of meat inspection
- Key control point now audited rigorously by the Food Standards Agency
What happened to control BSE between 1990 and 1996? (5)
- Further tightening of controls but export of beef continued with farmer declarations of BSE freedom
- “BSE free” farms could export meat at higher price………
- Staining of SRM material to ensure compliance
- Ruminant MBM ban in the EU in 1994
- BSE developing in other EU countries
What has been the industry response to consumer demands?
- Many have left - farm numbers have declined
- Organic farming and alternative farming methods developed
- Farm Assurance schemes to specify production standards
- Market led production rather than production led market
What were the UK controls in:
A( 1988?
B) 1989?
C) 1990?
D) 1996?
E) 1996-2004?
a) No ruminant feed to ruminants, Removal of suspect cows
b) Removal of High Risk material from human feed chain
c) Removal of High Risk material from animal feed chain
d) Removal of any mammalian protein to farmed stock
e) No human consumption of cattle over 30months of age
What is the BSE surveilllance UK 2013?
- Testing of carcasses introduced as the main method to protect consumers
- Since March 2013 healthy animals no longer tested
- Testing restricted to “fallen” stock over 48 months
What has BSE done for the UK?
- Spent £4000 million pounds
- Dented the image of science and scientists
- Questioned food safety
- Fuelled a pan-European agro-economic crisis
- Split government departments, set government against agriculture.
- Mixed science, economics and politics
What has BSE done for us?
- Cleaned up the meat production industry
- Made producers aware of their responsibilities and consumer demands
- Created a national database and cattle identification system
- Induced farm assurance schemes and consumer awareness
- Proved the importance of legislation with enforcement
