Mad Cow Disease is confirmed at UK farm

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 16:48 EDT, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 16:54 EDT, 19 August 2026 A case of Mad Cow Disease, also known as BSE, has been confirmed on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway.The Scottish Government said precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place on the animal's offspring and its 'cohort'.Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is an untreatable and progressive brain disease found in cows.People who eat the meat of a contaminated animal can become infected the human form of the illness, known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Further investigations to identify the origin of the disease are ongoing.The Scottish Government said the case was identified as a result of its routine BSE surveillance and stringent control measures that are in place.The animal did not enter the human food chain and Food Standards Scotland has confirmed there is no risk to human health as a result of the case.Scotland's agriculture minister Jim Fairlie said: 'Following confirmation of a case of classical BSE in Dumfries and Galloway, the Scottish Government and other agencies acted swiftly and decisively to protect the agriculture sector.'The fact we identified this isolated case so quickly is clear proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working effectively.'I want to thank the animal's owner for their diligence. Their swift action allowed us to identify and isolate the case immediately, minimising its impact on the wider industry.' A case of Mad Cow Disease, also known as BSE, has been confirmed on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway (file pic)The owners of the affected animals are working with authorities on next steps.The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is investigating where the disease originated.Under Scotland's surveillance system all animals more than four years of age that die on farms are routinely tested for BSE.Authorities said that while the disease is not directly transmitted from animal to animal, the cow's cohorts including offspring have been traced and isolated, and will be destroyed in line with legal requirements.BSE was at the centre of a major public health crisis in the UK during the 1990s. The epidemic peaked between 1992 and 1993, with up to 100,000 confirmed cases, and nearly 1,000 new cases every week being reported.More than 4.4 million cattle were culled in the UK to stop the disease spreading, which is thought to have been caused by contaminated meat and bone meal fed to the animals.