Animal diseases
This section includes information about BSE (mad cow disease) and atypical scrapie as well as the updates issued during outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu), foot and mouth, and bluetongue. The Food Standards Agency is responsible for ensuring that animal diseases do not pose a risk to food safety. Defra is the lead Government department for animal diseases and animal welfare.
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Atypical scrapie
Scientific tests have identified a brain disease in sheep called atypical scrapie. The disease comes from the same family of diseases as 'classical' scrapie in sheep (which has been around for over 200 years and is not known to be harmful to people) and BSE in cattle (from which humans can get the fatal disease variant CJD).
BSE and other Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
Cattle, sheep and goats can be susceptible to a group of brain diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The best known of these diseases is BSE (mad cow disease) in cattle.