When he travels around the country to talk about his theory, he is constantly trailed. Purdey believes that the root cause of BSE is an imbalance of magnesium and copper, exacerbated, in the case of the UK, by the use of a highly toxic pesticide known as phosmet. Phosphet is an organophosphate nerve toxin, originally developed by the Nazis. It is also related to the drug Thalidamide, which causes birth defects. A week after the British government first announced the link between BSE and nvCJD, Zeneca sold the patent for phosmet to a PO Box company in Arizona, apparently to avoid potential legal action.
Cows often suffer from a parasitic infection known as warble fly.
Since Purdey is an organic farmer, he treated his herd with derris root powder, a natural remedy. When Purdey bought an infected cow from another herd, he was able to reduce the symptoms of BSE by injecting oxime, which is an antidote to pesticide poisoning. As well as the link to phosmet use, Purdey discovered that brain diseases such as BSE and nvCJD appear in clusters in many places around the world. The link seems to be a lack of copper and an excess of manganese. These animals live in areas where the soils are very high in manganese.