Authorities identify suspected case of “mad cow” disease in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian authorities have identified a case of atypical “mad cow” disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in an animal more than 10 years old in Minas Gerais, said the partner-director of Scot Consultoria, Alcides Torres.

He reported that the suspicion was reported to the slaughterhouses operating in the region by the Federal Inspection Service (SIF). As usual, the Ministry of Agriculture has already collected animal samples and sent them to a laboratory of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in Canada for more detailed analysis, according to Torres.

The disease is considered atypical when it originates in the bovine organism itself, normally in older animals. The objective of the laboratory analysis is to confirm this classification and rule out the influence of external factors in the case, which could influence the commercialization for the foreign market.

The news triggered a downward movement in the fattened cattle futures contracts at B3 exchange and the physical market due to greater caution in the sector regarding a possible restriction on Brazilian beef exports.

“In the physical (market), we were already observing a decrease in the prices of the fat cattle arroba due to the increase in the supply of confined cattle in some cattle-raising areas. With this case of the disease, the tendency is that the market will continue sluggish,” said Torres.

The specialist also commented that the large slaughterhouses decided to suspend exports until the situation is clarified. “This is good because it shows the commitment of the Brazilian chain to food safety,” he added.

Asked about the reports of the atypical case, the Ministry of Agriculture said that Brazil adopts surveillance procedures investigation and notifications recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health.

“Cases under investigation are commonplace within the established surveillance procedures, and preventive measures are adopted immediately to ensure sanitary control. Once the process under investigation is concluded, the results will be reported,” the ministry said in a statement.