New BSE cases in Spain

Five new cases of Mad Cow Disease, or BSE, have been detected in Spain, bringing the total to nearly thirty.

The Spanish authorities say it would be wrong to speak of an epidemic of the disease there.

The news comes after Spanish scientists said they'd developed a new test to determine whether a cow has eaten feed containing animal protein -- which is thought to be the cause of BSE.

The test uses techniques developed by archaeologists to investigate the diets of ancient humans and animals; it measures the levels of different forms of nitrogen in tissue samples, which indicate how much meat they've eaten. The test does not detect Mad Cow Disease itself -- only whether an animal has eaten meat; but its big advantage over existing BSE tests is that the animal need not not be killed before examination.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service