It sounds like the punchline to a joke, but glowing eyes may be the key to a noninvasive test allowing scientists to identify animals suffering from prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), better known as mad cow disease. Researchers from Iowa State University and the National Animal Disease Centre examined sheep with scrapie – also a prion disease, and one of the prime suspects of the cause of the original BSE outbreaks, after cows were fed meal made from the remains... ...Read more »

After initially announcing that the ban on beef imports from BSE-affected countries would be repealed, the government has backflipped, with Agriculture Minister Tony Burke yesterday announcing that any change in the standing import policy on beef would come only after a lengthy analysis of beef exports. Vocal opposition by Liberal, Greens and independent senators appears to have led to the reversal of the decision. Despite expert opinions that US beef is free of BSE, the opposition maintains it’s... ...Read more »

Opposition Senators expressed concerms over the relaxation of Beef imports into Australia during a Senate Inquiry on Tuesday. Liberal Senator and Farmer Bill Heffernan raised his concern that Australian domestic beef producers were held to a stricter standard than foreign imports “These fellows today are telling Australia’s beef growers that they are going to accept a lesser standard than they have imposed on Australia,” he told the Inquiry yesterday. He also had fears that beef imports... ...Read more »

The Australian Beef Association yesterday told the current Australian Senate inquiry into Beef Imports that the majority of local beef producers will continue to oppose changes to Australia’s beef import laws. The Association said that relaxation of current import laws raised concerns of imports being affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) (Mad Cow Disease). As European countries began reporting outbreaks of BSE in 2001, Australia had implemented blanket restrictions on beef imports.... ...Read more »

Australia is adjusting its imported food policy settings for beef and beef products, with controversial changes to come into effect from 1 March, 2010.An update of the science of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), mad cow disease, and consideration of the risks associated with importing the beef and beef products was undertaken by Professor John Mathews to guide the alterations. Professor Mathews’ report concludes that the risk to human health from imported beef remains extremely low,... ...Read more »