Mad cow case registered in Pará is atypical, confirms Ministry of Agriculture – 03/03/2023 – Market

The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed this Thursday night (2) that the case of mad cow in Pará is indeed atypical. The conclusion is from the WHOA (World Organization for Animal Health) reference laboratory.

The case of bovine spogiform encephalopathy, detected in the municipality of Marabá (PA) on February 20, is atypical type H, more common in older cattle and without risks for the production chain and consumers.

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, communicated the result of the analysis to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and began inserting the information into the system for official communication to the WHOA and the Chinese authorities, the ministry said in a note.

The ministry also said that, once the process is completed, a virtual meeting will be scheduled with the Chinese government to deal with the release of beef exports to the country. The suspension took place on the 22nd.

At the time, Fávaro had already stated that everything indicated that the disease was atypical —in which case it develops during the degenerative process of the animal, more common in older cattle. The classic type of disease is usually caused by contaminated feed.

The suspension is based on a 2015 protocol signed by the two countries that establishes a self-embargo on sales to China when a new occurrence of mad cow is identified in Brazil.

“I emphasize that speed, efficiency and the transparency requested by President Lula was fundamental. I thank our team and that of the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, who allowed us to act quickly from the identification of the case”, said Fávaro, in a note.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock said it is working, in accordance with health protocols, so that Brazilian beef exports are reestablished as soon as possible.