Hundreds of cattle die in suspected botulism outbreak across England

According to the BBC News, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are investigating cases of botulism after hundreds of cows are reported to have died or been culled following outbreaks of the disease.

The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) said it is aware of suspected fatal botulism cases in cattle on a small number of farms, which are potentially linked to product supplied by a feed business certified under the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS) and the Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS).

A spokesperson from the AIC Feed Sector has confirmed that AIC has notified its members and held discussions with stakeholders throughout the past week to address the situation.

No immediate risk to human health

All recipients of potentially contaminated feed have been contacted by their supplier. The business is working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all potentially affected feed has been isolated and to help establish the root cause of the issue.

At this stage, investigations are ongoing, and no definitive cause has been confirmed, AIC said.

The confederation added that it will continue to keep members informed and will share further updates as more information becomes available.

The BBC reported that there was no current indication of “any immediate risk to human health”, however, safeguarding measures were being implemented.

What is botulism?

Botulism is a paralysing disease which kills most affected animals. It is caused by a highly lethal toxin which is produced by Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium found in soil, which multiplies in rotting vegetation or carcases.

Since 2003 there has been a marked increase in the number of confirmed outbreaks of botulism in cattle and sheep in the UK, DEFRA confirmed.

In UK ruminants the disease is often caused by animals coming into contact with the litter of broiler chickens, especially if it contains any carcass material.

There are also more sporadic but very large outbreaks due to feeding forage that has been contaminated with carcass material, including carcasses that have been ensiled during grass cutting.

If there are outbreaks of diseases in wildlife on a farm, for example, myxomatosis in rabbits, the risk of botulism in livestock may be increased because dead wildlife carcasses may be present in the grass fields that are to be cut for silage.

The clinical signs in affected animals vary from sudden deaths to animals becoming stiff, wobbly and going down before dying.

Some animals have slowly become weaker, developing flaccid paralysis and being unable to eat or drink, necessitating euthanasia on welfare grounds. Very few animals survive once they develop the disease.

The onset of clinical signs is variable and can be within 24 hours of exposure but can be delayed by up to two to three weeks, with the majority affected within the first seven days.

With botulism outbreaks, no clinically affected animals or their produce should enter the food chain. This means that meat and milk from clinically affected animals may not be used for human consumption.

If there are any recovering animals, these should be restricted for 18 days following withdrawal from the suspected source and cessation of clinical signs, DEFRA added.

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