October 19, 2000. Copyright, 2000, Graphic News. All rights reserved


BSE -- A CHRONOLOGY

1732 -- Scrapie first recorded in sheep.
1865 -- Meat and bone meal (MBM) begins to be used used in cattle feed.
1881 -- French veterinarian Sarraet records first case of Òcow scrapie.Ó
1920 -- German physician Hans G. Creutzfeld identifies case of ÒCreutzfeldt Disease.Ó
1921 -- Alphons M. Jakob records four cases of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease).
1924 -- UK Parliamentary Committee recomends labelling of compound feeds.
1930s -- Use of meat by-products in feed widespread in Europe, U.S. and 
Australia.
1936 -- GSS syndrome (inherited form of CJD) identified.
1957 -- Kuru (cannibal brain disease) first reported.
1976 -- U.S. bans use of scrapie-infected sheep and goats in feed.
1984 -- First case of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) in UK -- confirmed in 1986.
1986 -- Disease jumps species barrier. African antelope fed on diet including MBM at LondonÕs Regents Park Zoo is found to have BSE.
1987 -- BSE identified as prion disease originating from use of MBM.
1988 -- May: Ban on ruminant MBM in cattle feed begins. June: BSE becomes notifiable disease. July: Slaughter begins of all cattle. suspected of having BSE -- compensation of 50 percent for confirmed cases, 100 percent for negative. December: BSE designated as zoonosis i.e. capable of inter-species infection.
1989 -- February: Tyrrell Committee on research established. July: European Commission bans export of cattle born after July 1988. November: Offal ban introduced. Disease confirmed in Siamese cat in Bristol, offal in pet food suspected.
1990 -- February: British government offers full compensation for slaughtered cattle. March: EU export ban imposed on offal. April: Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) formed. May: Chief Medical Officer reports Òbeef is safe to eat.Ó August: Contradicting Tyrrell Committee, British Veterinary Association advises against breeding from calves of BSE cows. September: Offal ban extended to all animal feed (including pet food). October: Cattle breeding and movement records made compulsory.
1991 -- March: First BSE-infected calf born after 1988 feed ban. November: Ban of MBM and offal as fertiliser.
1992 -- March: Slaughterhouse controls introduced to prevent exposure of meat to brain tissue.
1993 -- July: 100,000th confirmed case in UK.
1994 -- June: EC ban on feeding of all mammalian protein to cattle. July: EC bone-in beef export restrictions.
1995 -- March: EC lifts ban on cattle feed containing some mammalian proteins. May: Stephen Churchill, aged 19, becomes first confirmed nvCJD (new-variant CJD) death. December: Ban on use of vertebral column in mechanically recovered meat.
1996 -- March: SEAC declares BSE link to nvCJD Òmost likely.Ó Ban on use of mammalian MBM in all animal feed. Over 30 months scheme introduced to ensure no bovine animal aged over 30 months at time of slaughter enters food chain. Total EC ban on exports of UK cattle, meat and products. May: UK policy of non-cooperation with EC. June: Florence meeting of EU Ministers sets framework for lifting export ban. July: UK cattle ÒpassportsÓ introduced for lifetime identification. December: Certified herds scheme announced. Selective cull of at-risk animals to meet pre-conditions of Florence agreement to end export ban.
1997 -- October: Date Based Export Scheme for cattle born after August 1996 proposed. December: UK beef-on bone ban.
1998 -- June: Ban lifted on export of Northern Ireland cattle under Certified Herd Scheme. BSE linked to pesticides and organophosphates. July: Compulsory slaughter of TSE cases (e.g. goats and sheep with scrapie)
1999 -- August: EU lifts worldwide ban on UK beef under Date-Based Export Scheme. EC launches legal action after France refuses to lift ban. December: Lifting of beef-on bone ban.
2000 -- March: German regional Bundesrat lifts ban. June: First confirmed case of BSE-infected calf born after 1996 animal feed ban.
/ENDS


Sources: UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foods, Reuters