IN late 2000, a wave of alarm gripped European nations as "mad cow" disease, or BSE, spread across the continent. At that time, it was reported that more than 80 people in Britain died of the human form of BSE, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). They contracted the disease after eating infected beef.

There was much fear that the disease would spread across borders and continents.

At that time, France and Britain banned meat and bone meal in livestock feed to check the spread of this disease.

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) views with concern a recent report of an international consumer rights' group known as foodwatch regarding bovine meat and bone meal export to Malaysia, which could be a source of bovine "spongiform encephalopathy" or BSE contamination.

According to this report, meat and bone meal from bovine by-products classified as European Union Category 2 material, that is, material coming from sick or dead animals, has been supplied to Malaysia from Germany.
The group apparently tracked and documented the trade route of 500 tonnes of meat and bone meal from the animal carcass disposal facility in Hardheim (Baden-Wuerttemberg) through Ant-werp to George Town.



In the EU, Category 2 material cannot be used as feed or be exported.

Matthias Wolfschmidt, the deputy executive director of foodwatch, said: "If meat and bone meal bearing the potential risk of BSE contamination is illegally exported, the threat is real that the meat from farmed animals fed with this meal will end up on plates in Asia or Europe."

The meat and bone meal exported to Malaysia was apparently analysed in independent laboratory testing commissioned by foodwatch.

The analysis revealed that the material is of bovine origin.

It is alarming if BSE contaminated meat is entering our market.

CAP calls on the Health Ministry, the International Trade and Industry Ministry and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to check on this report of contaminated meat from Germany and inform the public of their findings.