BSE

The current abattoir practice of removing the brain and spinal cord material – the elements in a carcass where Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy is primarily manifested – is not particularly sophisticated. Whatever reassurances are given by Government and meat industry spokespersons, the speed at which sawing and cutting must take place means the procedure cannot be foolproof, since individual skills vary and you do not have to be a scientist to wonder about contamination of tissue in immediate proximity to the potentially infected elements post mortem or about the role of blood and lymph in transporting viral material throughout a beast’s system while it is alive.