Food Standards Agency
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cow with ear tags
The Agency has been notified that meat and offal from an untested cow aged over thirty months (OTM) has entered the food supply.
As specified risk material (SRM) was removed, and it is unlikely that the animal was infected with BSE, any risk to human health is very low. However, BSE testing is mandatory for cattle slaughtered for human consumption at over thirty months of age.
The cow was slaughtered on 18 January 2008 at Alec Jarrett Ltd in Oldland Common, South Gloucestershire, and was over nine years old.
The error was discovered on 17 March during routine cross-checks of slaughter and BSE test data. By then, all the affected meat and offal had left the slaughterhouse. Subsequent checks, which are still on-going, indicate that much of the meat will already have been consumed. Some products containing meat from the affected batch have been withdrawn and are no longer in the food supply chain. Some have been exported and the FSA has notified the appropriate authorities.
Although withdrawn from sale on 28 March, some packs of Husseys Bakery 2 x Minced Beef & Onion Slices with 'use by' dates of 31/03/08 and 02/04/08 sold exclusively by Aldi may contain affected meat and, while the packaging does not indicate this product is suitable for home freezing, may still be in household freezers. A full refund will be given for these packs if returned to Aldi.
Background to BSE testing
OTM cattle are allowed to enter the food supply provided they have tested negative for BSE. If there is no test, all parts of the OTM carcase must be condemned.
Since 7 November 2005, when the previous ban on OTM cattle was replaced by BSE testing, over a million OTM cattle have been slaughtered in the UK for human consumption.
This is the tenth untested OTM animal that the Agency is aware has entered the food supply.
Specified risk material is those parts of the animal that contain almost all BSE infectivity, if the animal is infected with BSE.
Offal includes heart, kidneys, liver and tail.
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