BERNE (Reuters)
- Two more cases of mad cow disease have emerged in Switzerland,
bringing the total so far this year to five, federal health authorities
said on Tuesday.
The two latest
cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) came from the
canton of Lucerne, but a spokeman for the Federal Veterinary Office
said this was just a coincidence.
In a bid to
combat the brain-wasting disease, the office also said Switzerland
would follow the example of the European Union and require all
brains, bone marrow and spleens to be removed from slaughtered
sheep and goats.
The government
was expected to approve the precautionary measure, which applies
to animals more than 12 months old, in the next few weeks.
These organs,
which scientists think may spread the disease from contaminated
animals, must already be removed from cattle.
|
