Italy warns of more BSE cases

More BSE and possibly vCJD will emerge, says Italy

Italians should brace themselves for the discovery of more cases of mad cow disease, the government has warned.

But ministers insist that beef is safe to eat, despite the "certainty" of the disease being found in more cattle.

The first confirmed case of mad cow disease, or BSE, in an Italian-born cow was confirmed on Tuesday, after further tests on an animal from the northern region of Lombardy.

We've only had one case, but others will certainly come

Health Minister
Umberto Veronesi

In France meanwhile, a judge reportedly ordered searches of government buildings, as part of an inquiry into the alleged criminal liability of ministers over the BSE crisis.

The French news agency AFP said judge Marie-Odile Bertella-Geffroy had instigated a number of searches at the government offices in the ministries of health, food and consumer affairs.

She is trying to establish whether ministers in France and the UK should face criminal charges over their alleged failure to halt the spread of mad cow disease.

Two French familes whose relatives contracted vCJD, the human form of mad cow disease, have started the legal proceedings.

Veronesi: Beef is safer than ever

The Italian insistence that beef was safe to eat came from Health Minister Umberto Veronese.

"Meat is safer today than it ever was in the past - that's for sure. We shouldn't think for a second that there are risks to be found in eating beef," he said.

Beef sales have plummetted in Italy - as elsewhere in Europe - since the revelation in October that meat from BSE-infected herds had reached French supermarket shelves.

Test programme

In some parts of Italy, sales have fallen 40%. Mr Veronesi said the human form of the disease could still emerge in Italy.

"We cannot absolutely exclude the fact that in the near future there will be some cases (of vCJD)," he said.

Mr Veronesi said the "certain" discovery of further BSE cases would happen because of the wider test programme now in place.

German and Italian farmers have protested against culling whole herds

"We must be prepared to have more cases than in the past because (of) systematic testing," he said.

"We have two objectives: the complete elimination of BSE and the protection of consumers."

Farmers have staged a protest at the Lombardy farm where the BSE-infected cow was discovered. They are angry at plans to cull the entire herd.

Czech ban extended

Italy has been added to the list of countries whose beef is banned by the Czech Republic. Austria will also be affected by the ban, although its reported first case of mad cow disease was later confirmed to have been a false alarm.

The Czech ban now applies to all EU countries except Greece, Sweden and Finland.

Compulsory new tests for BSE were introduced across the EU on 1 January, but in Italy only two laboratories are equipped to carry out the tests.

Nearly a dozen more should be operation from February.