This is the VOA SpecialEnglish AGRICULTURE REPORT.
Animal health experts say all countries should guard against MadCow Disease. The experts urge countries to take steps to prevent MadCow Disease in animals. They also support measures to prevent thehuman form of the disease.
The experts met at a conference in Paris, France last month. TheWorld Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization andthe World Animal Health Organization organized the meeting.
The official name of the cattle disease is Bovine SpongiformEncephalopathy, or B-S-E. It causes holes in the brain. Cows actstrangely before they die. So it is known as Mad Cow Disease. B-S-Efirst appeared in Britain. All animals known to have the diseasehave been found in Europe or imports from Europe.
Scientists believe that eating infected beef may cause a similardisease in humans. This deadly disease is called Creutzfeldt-JakobDisease. It cannot be cured. In recent years, nearly one-hundredpeople in Europe have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
Officials at the conference said more than thirty countries havebanned the import of meat and bone meal and live cattle from westernEurope. The officials said countries can be considered at risk forB-S-E if they imported such products from western Europe during thepast twenty years. They said parts of Eastern Europe, Asia and theMiddle East are at increased risk.
The Food and Agriculture Organization says banning imports ofmeat and bone meal, cattle and beef is not the only way to controlthe spread of B-S-E. The F-A-O suggests testing high risk animals,especially imported animals. And it urges animal feed producers totest the quality of their products.
F-A-O officials urge governments to establish a national actionplan to control B-S-E. They say all countries should ban the feedingof meat and bone meal to cattle, goats and sheep.
The officials also urge countries to approve measures to controlthe killing of animals for food. They say this would reduce thechance of infected meat being sold as food for people. They also saythe human food supply should not include the riskiest animal parts,such as the head and spinal cord.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.