"MAD COW ALARM RAISED OVER EUROPEAN BEEF IMPORTS TO AUSTRALIA"

[Beaaware]

www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/world/mad-cow-alarm-raised-over-european-beef-imports-to-australia/story-fnd11ay0-1226655515459

Neurology Professor Colin Masters (University Of Melbourne) is concerned that Australia must not "Lower It's Guard" as he fears that "some British cattle are still contracting Mad Cow Disease"

This is a recent story and possibly linked to the withdrawal of BSE testing on cattle here in the UK which took effect back in March 2013.

I watch the Australian 'nothing to declare' and they are really strict on what people can bring in. They are really worried about anything harming their live stock or crops

Whereas we don't notice we've been eating horse for god knows how long!

It sounds like trade protectionism to me.

not belittling the BSE thing, but abroad is really paranoid about it. You can't give blood in many countries if you have lived in the UK. I know because I tried.

Beef farming is very very important to Aussie farmers.

Obviously preventing imports has nothing to do with this

www.mayoclinic.com/health/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease/DS00531/DSECTION=prevention

Very interesting link above for US citizens which includes this advice;

"To help ensure the safety of the blood supply people with a risk of exposure to vCJD or CJD aren't eligible to donate blood. This includes people who:

1.Have a biological relative who has been diagnosed with CJD

2.Have received a dura mater brain graft

3.Have received human growth hormone

4.SPENT A TOTAL OF AT LEAST THREE MONTHS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM 1980 TO 1996

5.SPENT FIVE YEARS OR MORE IN FRANCE FROM 1980 AND THE PRESENT

6.Received a blood transfusion in the UK between 1980 and the present

7.Have injected bovine insulin at anytime since 1980

Seems the Aussies are right to be worried about 'not lowering their guard', but more curious is why are there issues with France to the present day?