Thought this might interest you prion watchers. I'd be interested in
hearing from someone who's watching this issue more closely than I am
whether this Reuters chronology is accurate.
More info is available at
peace
misha
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BSE - UK: CHRONOLOGY
********************
A ProMED-mail post
[1]
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 15:18:36 -0400
From: "Marjorie P. Pollack"
Source: Reuters 14 Jul 1999
The European Commission's decision on Wednesday to allow exports of British
beef to resume from August 1 closes a chapter in the ``mad cow'' disease
crisis that began more than 12 years ago. Following is a chronology of
related scientific and political events beginning with the discovery in
Britain of the new cattle disease in 1986:
November, 1986 - "Mad cow" disease or BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy)
first identified by the British government's Central Veterinary Laboratory.
December, 1987 - Scientific tests reveal practice of feeding meat and bone
meal containing animal parts to cattle caused BSE.
June, 1988 - Britain stops feeding meat and bone meal to cattle.
July, 1989 - EU bans export of British cattle born before July 18, 1988 and
the offspring of infected animals.
April, 1990 - Edinburgh-based Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee
(SEAC) founded to lead research into BSE.
March, 1991 - First case of BSE in cattle born after the 1988 meat and bone
meal ban registered.
July, 1993 - 100,000th confirmed case of BSE in Britain.
July, 1994 - European Commission says British exports of beef-on-the-bone
can only come from herds which have been BSE-free for at least six years.
March, 1996 - SEAC says special unit looking into human Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (CJD) has concluded most likely explanation for CJD is exposure to
BSE before 1989 offal ban.
March, 1996 - EU imposes worldwide ban on beef exports from Britain,
including live bovine animals, semen, embryos and meat of bovine animals
slaughtered in Britain, also materials used in manufacture of medical
products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
April, 1996 - Britain stops selling meat from cattle aged over 30 months.
May, 1996 - British government declares "policy of non-cooperation" with EU.
June, 1996 - EU heads of state agree framework for lifting export ban at
Florence summit. Britain ends non-cooperation policy. EU reauthorises
exports of gelatine, tallow and semen.
July/August, 1997 - Illegal shipments of British beef are found in various
EU countries. Germany leads call for tighter British controls on exports.
October, 1997 - Britain formally introduces date-based scheme covering
mainland Britain and meat from animals born after August 1, 1996.
January, 1998 - Britain bans sale and import of all beef-on-the-bone after
SEAC says there is a small chance that BSE could be transmitted in nerve
tissue, including the spinal column and bone marrow.
March, 1998 - EU farm ministers give go-ahead for Northern Ireland to start
sending first British beef shipments to foreign supermarket shelves under
special export scheme.
November, 1998 - Panel of EU vets votes in favour of lifting remaining ban
on exports of mainland British beef.
November 23, 1998 - A majority of EU farm ministers vote in favour of
lifting the ban on mainland Britain.
July 14, 1999 - European Commission lifts worldwide ban on British beef
exports, effective August 1.
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