MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EU raised Chile's risk of contracting “mad cow”

The European Union officially informed Chile that it was raising the country's risk of contracting Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, “mad cow”, because Chile imported meat and bone meal from Canada and United States between 1997 and 2000.

Francisco Bahamonde Medina head of the Chilean Agriculture and Livestock Service and Hernan Rojas from the Livestock Protection Division said they received the communication from the European Union but underlined "this does not mean the disease exists in Chile".

In practical terms, Chile was downgraded from category 1, hardly any possibility of contracting BSE to category 3 which means probabilities are much higher.

Chile imported bone and meat meal from Canada in 1997/99 and meat meal from United States in 2000, when none of the countries had suffered any BSE case.

"Chileans can trust that the Agriculture and Livestock Service is absolutely certain that the disease is non existent in Chile and the EU re-qualification stems from administrative problems since the EU has yet to update its risk analysis methodology; therefore consumption of meat entails no problem", said Bahamonde Medina.

Mr. Rojas added that thanks to traceability, the bone and meat meals imported from Canada originated in areas non-contaminated with BSE and imports from the US were destined to poultry and not livestock.

"However the rigid EU regulations block the whole country even when one case is reported, as has happened with the before mentioned countries", he added.

Mr. Bahamonde Medina said Chile is so certain of its free BSE status that "it handed all records to the World Organization of Animal Health, OIE, so this body re-qualifies Chile. A final decision is expected in the coming months and with that ruling Chile will appeal the EU decision".

Since BSE officially exists in the world in 1995, Chile has taken all the necessary measures to avoid the intrusion and dissemination of the disease in the country, mainly lab testing all animals with suspicious symptoms, "which have in all cases proven negative", and since 2000 has banned feeding ruminants with meat and bone meal.

Mr. Bahamonde Medina added that the EU report will not affect the export of Chilean beef and lamb to Europe, and is only extensive to tripe which according to the Paris based OIE are "is not a risk product".

"Chile continues a low risk country regarding the possible contraction of mad cow disease", concluded Mr. Bahamonde Medina.