BSE food safety controls The Australian Questionnaire requires countries to have in place effective controls during the slaughtering process so that food for human consumption is prevented from becoming contaminated with materials that may contain BSE. It also requires a country to demonstrate effective and timely systems for the accurate identification, traceability and recall of meat and meat products in the event of a food safety issue. This chapter describes how these requirements are addressed in Latvia. Meat processing Legislation Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 sets out food safety requirements for meat which include provisions for: (1) responsibilities of the official veterinarian in ante- and postmortem mortem inspection; (2) general inspection procedures; (3) removal, separation, and marking of SRM; (4) marking of animals and carcasses with the official health mark; (5) documentation of inspection results and decisions; (6) communication of inspection results to operators across the production chain; and (7) qualifications and training of slaughterhouse staff (including official veterinarians). Additional requirements prohibit the use of ruminant bones in the production of mechanically separated meat (Regulation (EC) No 999/2001) and require BSE testing of atrisk animals to prevent contaminated meat from entering the human food chain (according to EC requirements for surveillance, see Section 18). More generally, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 Article 5 Part 1 requires that plans be properly documented and implemented and Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 sets out general hygiene requirements for foods of animal origin. Factories process meat for human consumption (e.g. cutting plants) must be registered and approved by the FVS. Procedures to prevent BSE contamination of food Methods that may potentially spread central nervous system (CNS) material to tissues destined for human consumption are banned. Specifically, pithing and stunning by use of gas injection into the cranial cavity are prohibited in bovine animals under EU legislation. As described in Section 7, carcasses are inspected for removal of SRM by official veterinarians who are supervised by the TSU senior food or veterinary inspectors. As observed during inspections of slaughtering facilities at the in-country verification visit, SRM is isolated, transported, and disposed of in such a way that it cannot be diverted for food use. Only carcasses which pass inspection for SRM removal receive a health mark which permits them to be further processed.
Disease notification and diagnoses This section focuses on procedures developed the FVS surveillance and monitoring program (Figure 2) for notification and diagnoses of animals that are identified as animals. Effectiveness of BSE surveillance is underpinned by a systematic notification chain and internationally accepted diagnostic laboratory methods. Legislation Under passive surveillance programs, notification of suspect BSE cases has been compulsory for farmers and veterinarians since 1990. Details of the notification chain are prescribed under the Veterinary Medicine Law (Articles 56 and 59) and through Orders issued through the FVS such as Order No 234 ‘Instruction on Notification of Highly Dangerous Animal Infectious Diseases’. BSE was first listed as a notifiable disease under EC legislation in 1992 (Directive 1992/450/EC). The legislation went through a series of amendments until the current regulations on the generalised rules for the prevention, control and eradication of TSEs that are prescribed under Regulation (EC) No 999/2001. Articles 12 and 13 of this regulation set out measures to be carried out in response to the identification of BSEsuspect animals. Latvia has been subject to these controls since 2004. Figure 2: Schematic of the TSE Surveillance System Identification and handling of BSE suspects Cattle displaying behavioural or clinical signs during ante-mortem inspection, as described in Article 11.5.21 of the OIE Animal Health Code (the Code)3 are defined as ‘clinical BSEsuspect’ animals. Clinical signs are based on behavioural changes such as excitability, persistent kicking when milked, changes in herd hierarchical status, hesitation at doors, gates and barriers, as well as those displaying progressive neurological signs without evidence of another infectious disease. Brain tissue from these animals is tested for BSE and results are included in the statistical reporting of the BSE surveillance program, as discussed in Section 18 of this report. Measures to be taken in the event that a BSEsuspect animal is identified are listed in Box 1. As determined through discussions at the in-country inspection, FVS officers (at central offices and regional TSUs) as well as slaughterhouse and farm workers were well-informed about these measures.
<7 years ≥7 and 299 0.1 30 0.4 28 0.7 4 220 <9 ≥9 years 31 0 16 0.1 2 0.2 3 45 Subtotals 3713 435 160 37 Total points 665.83 342 202.8 21065 22275.63 SUMMARY TABLE FOR BSE SURVEILLANCE 2003 Surveillance subpopulations Routine slaughter Fallen stock Casualty slaughter Clinical suspect Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points >1 and 17 0.01 25 0.2 5 0.4 3 0 <2 years ≥2 and 666 0.1 228 0.2 63 0.4 3 260 <4 ≥4 and 1566 0.2 343 0.9 77 1.6 12 750 <7 years ≥7 and 981 0.1 189 0.4 50 0.7 1 220 <9 ≥9 1608 0 229 0.1 68 0.2 2 45 Subtotals 4838 1014 263 21 Total points 478.07 457.8 199 10090 11224.87 SUMMARY TABLE FOR BSE SURVEILLANCE 2004 Surveillance subpopulations Routine slaughter Fallen stock Casualty slaughter Clinical suspect Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points >1 and 31 0.01 28 0.2 1 0.4 1 0 <2 years ≥2 and 4978 0.1 364 0.2 47 0.4 0 260 <4 years ≥4 and 8519 0.2 445 0.9 41 1.6 0 750 <7 years ≥7 and 5176 0.1 229 0.4 37 0.7 0 220 <9 years ≥9 years 9313 0 322 0.1 44 0.2 0 45 Subtotals 1388 170 1 Total points 2719.51 602.7 119.5 0 3441.71 SUMMARY TABLE FOR BSE SURVEILLANCE
2005 Surveillance subpopulations Routine slaughter Fallen stock Casualty slaughter Clinical suspect Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points >1 and 23 0.01 58 0.2 3 0.4 0 0 <2 years ≥2 and 6451 0.1 535 0.2 39 0.4 1 260 <4 years ≥4 and 10574 0.2 596 0.9 49 1.6 0 750 <7 years ≥7 and 6666 0.1 249 0.4 34 0.7 0 220 <9 ≥9 years 11303 0 353 0.1 29 0.2 0 45 Subtotals 1791 154 1 Total points 3426.73 789.9 124.8 260 4601.43 SUMMARY FOR BSE SURVEILLANCE 2006 Surveillance subpopulations Routine slaughter Fallen stock Casualty slaughter Clinical suspect Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points Samples Points >1 and 11 0.01 36 0.2 2 0.4 0 0 <2 years ≥2 and 7087 0.1 415 0.2 101 0.4 1 260 <4 years ≥4 and 11978 0.2 452 0.9 94 1.6 0 750 <7 years ≥7 and 6976 0.1 216 0.4 39 0.7 0 220 <9 years ≥9 years 11708 0 245 0.1 34 0.2 0 45 Subtotals 37760 1364 270 1 Total points 3802.01 607.9 225.7 260 4895.61 POINTS 2000-2006 11508.68 2807.5 881.6 45425 60622.78 SUMMARY TABLE FOR BSE SURVEILLANCE 2007 Surveillance subpopulations