German officials rush to reassure consumers that their sausages are safe after a European Union official hinted the country's beloved bratwurst, currywurst or even weisswurst could also be considered suspect in the mad cow disease scare. Spanish authorities announce two new cases of mad cow disease. Hoping to fend off criticism of its reaction to the panic, the German government proposes lowering the age of cows to be tested for BSE, implementing tougher food safety inspections and banning animal-based feeds and risky products. Spain reports three new cases of mad cow, while Australia and New Zealand announce they will ban all beef imports from Europe. The Belgian Federal Agency for Food Safety reports 161 cases of BSE in 2000, more than five times the number detected in 1999.
French farmers block a slaughterhouse to protest the economic impact of the disease.
The European Union appeals to consumers to stay calm, despite the discovery of suspected mad cow cases in Austria, Spain, Bavaria, Belgium, and in an Italian slaughterhouse that has supplied beef for McDonald's hamburgers. Some of the suspected cases were in areas previously believed to be in the clear. The EU says it's only natural that new cases would be discovered, now that a mandatory beef testing policy is in place. An FDA advisory panel votes to ban blood donations from anyone who lived in France, Ireland or Portugal for 10 or more years after 1980. A wider ban had been requested by the American Red Cross.