Czech confirmation of BSE prompts Polish government to take action

The Polish government has announced plans to spend zl.58 million on examining 170,000 cattle over the age of two for BSE. The move comes after the authorities in the Czech Republic issued an official statement confirming that a cow from a Czech herd had BSE. The preliminary tests were confirmed by results from a German laboratory. The Polish government has decided to conduct its own tests, despite the fact that no cases of BSE have been identified in Poland. In further moves aimed at preventing the spread of the disease, the chief veterinarian, Andrzej Komorowski, has imposed a ban on Czech beef imports and issued a statement that 25,000 milch cows imported from EU countries will not be sold for consumption after they are slaughtered. (Gazeta Wyborcza p. 20, Prawo i Gospodarka p. 3) M.T.K.