One off case of ‘mad cow disease’ interrupts beef exports to China

On Monday, 06/03, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) ended the unusual case of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), known as ‘mad cow disease’, registered in Brazil.  This was done without changing the country’s sanitary status, which remains classed as an insignificant risk as far as the disease is concerned.

The Animal and Plant Health Secretariat of the Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Ministry (MAPA) had confirmed an incident of BSE in Mato Grosso at the end of May. Mad cow disease happens spontaneously and sporadically and is not related to food ingestion.  Moreover, according to the OIE, there will be no additional reports on the case. In more than 20 years of monitoring for the disease, Brazil has recorded only three cases of atypical BSE and no cases of the classic BSE.

Beef exports to China

Despite the OIE report, MAPA has temporarily suspended health certificates for China until the Chinese authorities have to analyze all the information relating to this episode. Brazil´s decision complies with the bilateral protocol signed in 2015.

Just a few weeks ago, MAPA sent 19 meatpackers to be licensed to export to China. The meatpackers were optimistic that the Asian country would expand the number of Brazilian slaughterhouses able to supply to it after it suffered an outbreak of African swine fever.

The following DataLiner chart shows the trends in Brazilian beef imports by China from January 2015 to March 2019.

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