A four-year-old cow from the farm Ruzena in the Jihlava region has tested positive for BSE, according to Ladislav Zamek, head of local state veterinary office. This is the 17^th case of the disease reported in the country that will result in further culling.

Some 300 at-risk cows will have to be killed in preventive measures, including animals that came into contact with the infected cow in the first year of her life as well as her two descendants. No cattle transfers are permitted at the farm that has 2,000 head, 700 of which are cows.

The farm ranks among the top 20 cattle breeders in the Czech Republic and the current herd has been bred since the early 1990s. The farm buys the genetic material in America, Canada, the Netherlands and France.

The total number of tested animals in the Czech Republic is now over 700,000 and 2,402 suspected cows have been killed in the country since the first case was detected in June 2001. Tests are carried out on slaughtered animals over 30 months of age.

 

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