FINAL REPORT OF A MISSION CARRIED OUT IN PORTUGAL FROM 11 TO 20 MAY 2009 IN ORDER TO EVALUATE MEASURES CONCERNING BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY

FINAL REPORT OF A MISSION CARRIED OUT IN PORTUGAL FROM 11 TO 20 MAY 2009 IN ORDER TO EVALUATE MEASURES CONCERNING BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) AND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS AND SOIL IMPROVERS

Executive Summary

This report describes the outcome of a Food and Veterinary Office (FVO)specific audit carried out from 11 to20 May 2009, as part of the general audit of Portugal carried out under the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and the Council.

The objective of the mission was to evaluate the implementation of certain protective measures against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), as well as rules concerning organic fertilisers and soil improvers (OF/SI).

In terms of scope, the mission concentrated on BSE epidemio-surveillance in bovines, measures taken after suspicion/confirmation of BSE, removal and handling of specified risk material (SRM) from bovines, and the control measures in place to ensure the effectiveness of the total feed ban, in particular how the risks posed by the use of OF/SI are considered for the organisation of these controls. In addition and for OF/SI, it was assess the capability of the authorities to their correct production, flow and use. The evaluation included measures taken in response to the recommendations made in previous FVO missions regarding the afore-mentioned issues.

Overall, the report concludes that:

- BSE monitoring was largely satisfactory, with the exception of fallen animals, an important number of which are still not sampled and tested. However, in two cases there were significant delays in the implementation of movement restrictions following the detection of suspects. SRM controls were largely satisfactory.

- Progress has been made since the previous mission concerning feed ban controls and targets set by the control programme have been met; however, controls did not yet cover the entire country, and they were affected by deficiencies in the design and implementation of a risk based approach.

- Progress has been also made concerning OF/SI, although there were some weakness in their production. Nevertheless, official controls on the use of OF/SI have been satisfactorily reinforced, although they did not cover yet the use of non-bulk OF/SI.

The report makes a number of recommendations addressed to the Portuguese competent authorities, aimed at rectifying the shortcomings identified and further enhancing the implementing and control measures in place.

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6 OVERALL CONCLUSIONS

BSE monitoring was largely satisfactory, with the exception of fallen animals, an important number of which are still not sampled and tested. However, in two cases there were significant delays in the implementation of movement restrictions following the detection of suspects. SRM controls were largely satisfactory.

Progress has been made since the previous mission concerning feed ban controls and targets set by the control programme have been met; however, controls did not yet cover the entire country, and they were affected by deficiencies in the design and implementation of a risk based approach. Progress has been also made concerning OF/SI, although there were some weakness in their production. Nevertheless, official controls on the use of OF/SI have been satisfactorily reinforced, although they did not cover yet the use of non-bulk OF/SI.

SNIP...END...SEE FULL TEXT ;


http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/act_getPDF.cfm?PDF_ID=7854



http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/ir_search_en.cfm?stype=insp_nbr&showResults=Y&REP_INSPECTION_REF=2009-8090



- To see the Competent Authority comments on the Draft Report, click here (89Kb) -

http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/act_getPDFannx.cfm?ANX_ID=6158



To see the Competent Authority response to the report recommendations, click here


http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/ap/ap_pt_2009-8090.pdf




Opinion of the Scientific Panel on biological hazards (BIOHAZ) on the determination of the BSE risk status of Portugal Question number: EFSA-Q-2003-093


http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178620777374.htm




http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/Scientific_Opinion/summaryopinionportugalbse1,0.pdf?ssbinary=true




http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/Scientific_Opinion/finalopinionportugalbse1,3.pdf?ssbinary=true





Annex to The EFSA Journal (2004) 143 on the opinion on the determination of the
BSE risk status of Portugal.


http://www.efsa.europa.eu/cs/BlobServer/Scientific_Opinion/finalreportportugalbse1,3.pdf?ssbinary=true





Update of the GBR-opinion of the SSC of July 2000 11 January 2001 - 9 - ANNEX: OVERVIEW TABLE OF ALL COUNTRIES WITH A GBR CLASSIFICATION


40 Portugal (mainland) 3/3/99 IV 2000


http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/ssc/out243_en.pdf




Wednesday, December 23, 2009


Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease: the first confirmed case from Portugal shows early onset, long duration and unusual pathology


http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2009/12/variant-creutzfeldtjakob-disease-first.html




Table 3. Results of the GBR assessments through 2005

GBR I: Highly unlikely

Argentina (I), Australia (I), Iceland, New Caledonia, New Zealand (I), Panama (I), Paraguay (I), Singapore, Uruguay (I), Vanuatu

GBR II: Unlikely but not excluded

Botswana (I), Brazil (I), Colombia, Costa Rica (II), El Salvador (I), India, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia (I), Nicaragua (I), Nigeria, Norway (I), Pakistan, Sweden (II). Swaziland (I)

GBR III: Likely but not confirmed or confirmed at a lower level A

lbania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile (I), Croatia, Denmark, Canada (II), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Poland, The Netherlands, Romania, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, USA (II)

GBR IV: Confirmed at a higher level

Portugal, United Kingdom


ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1000e/a1000e00.pdf





Tuesday, December 1, 2009

IMPORTATION OF CANADIAN CATTLE, BISON, SHEEP, AND GOATS INTO THE UNITED STATES 12/1/09


http://usdameatexport.blogspot.com/2009/12/importation-of-canadian-cattle-bison.html



Monday, November 30, 2009

USDA AND OIE COLLABORATE TO EXCLUDE ATYPICAL SCRAPIE NOR-98 ANIMAL HEALTH CODE


http://nor-98.blogspot.com/2009/11/usda-and-oie-collaborate-to-exclude.html



Monday, November 23, 2009

BSE GBR RISK ASSESSMENTS UPDATE NOVEMBER 23, 2009 COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND O.I.E.


http://docket-aphis-2006-0041.blogspot.com/2009/11/bse-gbr-risk-assessments-update.html



Wednesday, November 18, 2009

R-CALF: 40 Groups Disagree With USDA's Latest BSE Court Submission


http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2009/11/r-calf-40-groups-disagree-with-usdas.html



Monday, November 16, 2009

CANADA, USA, specified risk materials (SRMs), Environment, Fertilizer, AND Politics, just more BSe


http://madcowspontaneousnot.blogspot.com/2009/11/canada-usa-specified-risk-materials.html




O.I.E. = B.S.E./T.S.E. ... TSS



BSE/vCJD: The European On-going Story

Prof J Ralph Blanchfield, MBE

Past President

Institute of Food Science & Technology

President 2006-2008

International Academy of Food Science & Technology

IUFoST Governing Council Member 2003-2008

Food science, food technology and food law consultant

E-mail: jralphb@easynet.co.uk Web: www.jralphb.co.uk

(updated 25 Sepember 2009)



SNIP...


BSE/vCJD

Susceptibility to vCJD (cont)

Wadsworth et al have reported that in transgenic mice expressing human PrP, human PrP 129 valine appears not to be a compatible substrate for the type of prion (type 4) seen in vCJD. These animal models suggest that human infection with BSE-derived prions may not be restricted to a single disease phenotype, but may result in sporadic CJD-like or novel phenotypes in addition to vCJD, with the type of disease experienced depending on the genotype of the host source of the infection, and the genotype of the recipient.

(Wadsworth JD et al (2004). Science 2004 Nov 11 2004)

vCJD

Asante et al have shown that transgenic mice expressing human PrP methionine 129, inoculated with either BSE or vCJD prions, may develop the neuropathological and molecular phenotype of vCJD, consistent with these diseases being caused by the same prion strain. Surprisingly, however, BSE transmission to these transgenic mice, in addition to producing a vCJD-like phenotype, can also result in a distinct molecular phenotype that is indistinguishable from that of sporadic CJD with PrPSc type 2. These data suggest that more than one SE-derived prion strain might infect humans; it is therefore possible that some patients with a phenotype consistent with sporadic CJD may have a disease arising from BSE exposure.

Asante et al (2002). EMBO Journal, 21 ( 23), 6358-6366.

vCJD

First CJD case of valine homozygosity at codon 129

In a paper describing the histopathologic and molecular investigation in a young British woman with atypical sporadic CJD and valine homozygosity at PRNP codon 129. autopsy findings were atypical of sporadic CJD, with marked gray and white matter degeneration and widespread prion protein (PrP) deposition. Lymphoreticular tissue was not available for analysis. Molecular analysis of PrPSc from cerebellar tissue demonstrated a novel PrPSc type similar to that seen in vCJD (PrPSc type 4). Further studies will be required to characterize the prion strain seen in this patient and to investigate its etiologic relationship with BSE.

Mead s et al Arch Neurol. 2007;64(12):1780-1784.

vCJD

Aguzzi’s group in Zurich studied 114 brain samples from 70 patients with sporadic CJD and three patients with variant CJD. Every patient classified as CJD type 2, and all variant CJD patients, showed POM2/POM12 reactivity in the cerebellum and other PrPSc-rich brain areas, with a typical PrPSc type 1 migration pattern.

Interpretation

The regular coexistence of multiple PrPSc types in patients with CJD casts doubts on the validity of electrophoretic PrPSc mobilities as surrogates for prion strains, and questions the rational basis of current CJD classifications.

Polymenidou et al (2005), “Coexistence of multiple PrPSc types in individuals with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease”, Lancet Neurology, (4):805-814


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http://www.jralphb.co.uk/BSE_vCJD_Web.ppt




http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:uonjAYkres0J:www.jralphb.co.uk/BSE_vCJD_Web.ppt+DETWILER+PORTUGAL+BSE&cd=15&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us





Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Co-existence of scrapie prion protein types 1 and 2 in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: its effect on the phenotype and prion-type characteristics.


http://cjdusa.blogspot.com/2009/09/co-existence-of-scrapie-prion-protein.html



Thursday, November 05, 2009

Incidence and spectrum of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease variants with mixed phenotype and co-occurrence of PrPSc types: an updated classification


http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2009/11/incidence-and-spectrum-of-sporadic.html



Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Characteristics of Established and Proposed Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Variants


http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2009/08/characteristics-of-established-and.html



Saturday, June 13, 2009

Monitoring the occurrence of emerging forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United States 2003 revisited 2009


http://cjdusa.blogspot.com/2009/06/monitoring-occurrence-of-emerging-forms.html



Wednesday, February 11, 2009


Atypical BSE North America Update February 2009


http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2009/02/atypical-bse-north-america-update.html




Friday, September 4, 2009

FOIA REQUEST ON FEED RECALL PRODUCT 429,128 lbs. feed for ruminant animals may have been contaminated with prohibited material Recall # V-258-2009


http://madcowfeed.blogspot.com/2009/09/foia-request-on-feed-recall-product.html



Saturday, August 29, 2009

FOIA REQUEST FEED RECALL 2009 Product may have contained prohibited materials Bulk Whole Barley, Recall # V-256-2009


http://madcowfeed.blogspot.com/2009/08/foia-request-feed-recall-2009-product.html




Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:25 PM Subject: [BSE-L] re-FOIA REQUEST ON FEED RECALL PRODUCT contaminated with prohibited material Recall # V-258-2009 and Recall # V-256-2009



http://madcowfeed.blogspot.com/2009/11/re-foia-request-on-feed-recall-product.html




TSS