Welsh BSE "cluster"

[grassfarmer]

Just read this report from the UK media today:

"Three cows on the same farm in Wales have tested positive for BSE, the rural affairs ministry Defra has confirmed.
A spokesman for Defra said the first case was identified more than two months ago and the two others were confirmed at the end of last week.
The animals are aged between 36 and 43 months.
Defra said an investigation would look at whether the source of the cluster was infected feed, perhaps from abroad.
A spokesman could not confirm reports that it was the first time three cases born after 1996 had been linked to one farm. One of the three cows was an offspring of another, he said.

Last month the government said that British beef was still banned in 84 countries following the BSE crisis of the 1990s in which thousands of cows were slaughtered.

However, Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael said that BSE cases, which peaked at more than 36,000 in 1992, last year fell to 309."

And we have all this huge crisis in Canada because of 3 or 4 cases?? It really should be put in perspective given the larger cattle population we have here. Bear in mind also their "rigorously enforced feed ban" was introduced in 1996 - yet still 36 month cattle have BSE?
"Imported" feed is now the common excuse used for any new cases - but imported from where - and by whom?

[rkaiser]

Geeez Grassfarmer, you could have titled your post "Eastern Great Britain BSE "cluster"."

Now you've gone and gave me some bad advertising. Nobody is gonna want Welsh Black cattle.

[grassfarmer]

I should have mentioned of course that they were Holsteins - as usual.
I don't know the incidence in the Welsh Black breed in the UK but it is probably very very small, like most pure beef breeds. I think the Luing and the Dexter are the only two breeds that can claim no cases of BSE in the UK.
I heard recently that a German group of scientists may want to do some tests on some of the Luings in Canada - they have achieved some sort of breakthrough in detecting cows that carry a genetic susceptability to BSE and need to prove their theory a little further. Their comment was they would test Luings in Canada but the continental (exotic) breeds were so mongrelised in North America that they would test them in Europe to get clear genetic leads!