BSE strikes Slovakia
Slovakia’s first case of BSE has come as an equal shock to the country’s consumers and cattle farmers.
The case was found on a farm in Dolna Zdana (middle Slovakia) and has been confirmed by two separate Slovak laboratories. Although the second test to verify the laboratory results has yet to be carried out in Germany, experts are 100% certain that it will now be confirmed.
The Slovakian media has described the work of a local veterinarian as ‘scandalous’. Despite a positive first test result, she allowed the contaminated meat to be sold to local shops. Once her mistake had been discovered, two deliveries were immediately withdrawn and the third one only discovered after repeated warnings were made on the radio.
The vet has since been accused of serious negligence and she may spend up to three years in prison. The Slovakian media has since tried to allay consumers’ fears by highlighting the fact that the case was the first to be discovered from a testing programme of 12,319 cows. Meanwhile, Chief Veterinarian of Slovakia Ivan Rovny has warned of the dangers of consuming beef from cattle originating from middle Slovakia, causing a massive slump in beef consumption across the whole of the country.
