Joint Ministerial Decision No. 289/20208 on Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance, control and eradication programme.

This Joint Ministerial Decision approves the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance, control and eradication programme. The goals of the programme are: a) protection of public and animal health and livestock activity in the country by preventing the entry of the causing agent of BSE into the human and animal food chain; b) maintain the country's status as a 'BSE-controlled risk' and subsequently improving it to a 'negligible risk', as assessed in accordance with Chapter C of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001. In order to achieve the above goals the specific objectives of the programme are: a) systematic research and early laboratory diagnosis, using appropriate laboratory techniques, of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE); b) monitor all clinical suspicions and the systematic clinical, epidemiological and laboratory investigation; c) eliminate of the BSE outbreak, as well as the control and prevention of the entry of the causing agent of BSE into the human and animal food chain.