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Countermeasures of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

November 2001

1. Confirmation of the Cow's Infection

The milk cow at a dairy farm in Shiroi City, Chiba Prefecture that had exhibited astasia tested negative in a Prionics-Check conducted by the National Institute of Animal Health on 6 August. However, on 10 September, histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations indicated a Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) infection.

Thus, on the same day, a BSE-countermeasure headquarters (Chief: Senior Vice-minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Takehiko Endo) was established at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Subsequently, on 11 September, parts of the cow and the domestic test results were sent to the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to obtain a definitive diagnosis, in accordance with advice from the Technical Study Group on BSE chaired by Professor Takashi Onodera of the University of Tokyo. On 21 September, the Institute responded that the cow had tested BSE-positive.

2. Establishment of a System to Prevent Distribution of Cattle at Risk of BSE

Given the aforementioned situation, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, acting in coordination, issued strong instructions that the following measures be taken:

(1) BSE testing of all carcasses on cattle slaughtered on or after 18 October.

(2) Incineration of parts with particular risk of carrying BSE infection (brain, spinal cord, eye and the end of the intestinum tenue).

(3) Postponement of shipment (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) and suspension of slaughtering and butchering (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) until necessary arrangements for (1) above are made.
With these countermeasures, the Ministries created an arrangement under which no beef or other cow parts at risk of BSE could leave the slaughterhouse, for use either in human food or livestock feed.

3. Blocking the Route of Infection through Temporary Suspension of Meat and Bone Meal Import, Production and Shipment

(1) Given the inappropriate usage of meat and bone meal that actually took place at a small percentage of farms and the resulting strong feelings of mistrust among the public, starting 4 October, import of meat and bone meal and similar products regarded as a main source of BSE infection from any country has been suspended, and domestic production and shipment discontinued, for the time being, in order to block the route of BSE infection.

(2) In order to ensure the effectiveness of the domestic discontinuance above, production, sales and use of all livestock feed containing meat and bone meal and similar products will be legally banned by the Law concerning Safety Assurance and Quality Improvement of Feed (15 October).

4. Investigation into the Cause, and Further Enhancement of the Epidemic Prevention System

(1) In order to clarify the cause of this incident of infection, and to further strengthen the epidemic prevention system, the following measures are being taken, and studies are underway.

  1. Epidemiological investigation of the route of purchase and feeding of the infected cow.
  2. On-site examination of all cattle in Japan (approximately 4.59 million) at farms (approximately 140 thousand) by epidemic prevention officials (approximately 5,800 veterinarians and other staff from prefectural livestock hygiene service centers). This was completed on 30 September, and no cow showed suspicions of BSE infection.
  3. On-site inspection of all cattle feed production plants (142 plants) regarding the status of implementation of measures to prevent mixture of meat and bone meal or similar products with feed, based on the Law concerning Safety Assurance and Quality Improvement of Feed. This was completed on 21 September, and no contamination was found after analysis in any sample collected. The status of implementation of measures contained in the Guidelines for Prevention of Mixture of Meat and Bone Meal with Feed will be compiled, and the results made public.

(2) In addition, the following measures concerning imported meat and bone meal will be taken:

  1. A follow-up survey on domestic distribution routes and other matters regarding the meat and bone meal imported in the past.
  2. An investigation of production processes and other matters regarding overseas meat and bone meal plants in countries with BSE incidence and a significant volume of exports to Japan.

5. Emergency Measures related to BSE

(1) For farm producers and others affected by the incident on this occasion, the following emergency measures have thus far been taken:

  1. Promotion of the postponement of shipment until a new BSE-inspection regime is established.
  2. Emergency loans to those affected (BSE-related bridge loans).
  3. Debt-guarantee support for BSE-related bridge loans (no collateral, no guarantor).
  4. Support for incineration of meat and bone meal that has become difficult to use.
  5. Public relations to increase awareness of BSE and the safety of domestic beef products.
  6. Strengthened surveillance at farms of cattle scheduled for shipment by livestock hygiene service centers.
  7. Support for voluntary BSE tests and incineration of cattle that came into contact with the cow infected with BSE.

(2) In addition, measures will be taken to deal with price fluctuations and other factors in order to stabilize the management of commercial cattle breeding.

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