cttork

My husband and I are traveling through London and all of central Europe down through the Greek islands and ending in Ireland. Some of our friends that have traveled abroad in the last couple of years told us that we should be concerned about mad cow and hoof and mouth. Is there a reason to be concerned???

P_M

I thought mad cow disease was history. I go to Europe at least once or twice a year and I haven't heard anything about mad cow since the 90's.

As far as hoof and mouth disease goes, I came through customs in Chicago last month and they told us to notify customs if we had done any walking in rural areas so we could wash our shoes. So no, I don't think that's a worry either.

jody

No more so in EU than here in the US...they at least have recognized the problem and acted but it has been successfully covered up here...just google Mad cow USa

Cicerone

I would not have any concerns. I think your friends are referring to the fact that many European countries have banned the importation of beef from the UK. The EU has banned the importation of British beef and all cattle products into EU countries (other than the UK) since 1996. However, this ban is expected to be lifted in the next week or so, as most people feel that the mad cow disease epidemic which broke out about 10 years ago is well under control in the UK. In the EU and Switzerland, local law requires that restaurant menus list the origin of the meat you are ordering so if you have any concerns, you can order meat from other than the UK.

alanRow

"The EU has banned the importation of British beef and all cattle products into EU countries (other than the UK) since 1996. However, this ban is expected to be lifted in the next week "

The ban finished a few weeka ago

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4967480.stm

Tulips

And in any case, the problem was not with steaks from good breeds (no mad Aberdeen Angus cattle), but with meat on the bone and with rubbish like cheap frankfurters, burgers, that are made out of leftovers from the slaughterhouses.
Hoof and Mouth is not something that is transferred to humans.

If you are going to be worried, I would be more concerned about bird flu.

hsv

Mad Cow Disease erupted several years ago throughout Europe (largely due to the production of cheap meats and the use of shredded animal bones being fed to cows (!!!!) ).
While it no longer is that prevalent it is still existent, but the European agriculture industry is doing a remarkable job in covering-up the issue and keeping it out of the media.
I have since resorted to avoiding beef dishes (even though chances of infection are ever so slight, in fact one would be more likely to win the lottery) on most occasions as I don't care for meat being produced by unhealthy and even immoral procedures. However, I do make exceptions when the butcher of my choice can assure that the kettle were raised ecologically or the meat is of Argentine origin. In both cases, prices are considerably higher, but quality always comes at a price, doesn't it?.

alanRow

If you are going to be worried, worry about crossing the road, driving to the airport, flying or even getting out of bed in the morning.

Mad Cow Disease has killed about 161 in the UK over the past decade, hoof & mouth NONE and I belieev that preceisely 2 people have caught it in the past 100 years (both worked with cows) so unless you have cloven hooves you have little chance of getting it EVEN if it was still around which it hasn't for the past 4 years

Cicerone

Thanks alanRow for the link to the bbc on the exact date on the lifting of the ban, I thought I had heard it had been lifted but was not sure. I did not want to say it had definitely been lifted (imagine the crap I would have recieved for that); the last report I had heard about this was before my last holiday and that was in March so I was guessing on the actual date on which the ban was to be lifted.

Neil_Oz

For heaven's sakes, this has got to be a troll post. Look at the itinerary.

david_west

Without wanting to uncharitable to the OP, if they are following that route then I really think they have nothing to worry about from mad cow disease.

BSE is a dead issue – it doesn’t exist anymore, it’s completely eradicated in our cows. Unfortunately most of the people who caught it have died too.

Frankly my continuing existence proves how hard it is to catch. I spent the 70s and 80s eating mad cow burgers at football matches, rock festivals, funfairs etc. If I haven’t cauhjt it then it’s pretty hard to catch.

Incidentally American beef is banned in the EU because you use growth hormones on your cows. (There is also a theory that this is why so many Americans are so overweight).

Foot and mouth is a livestock disease that is utterly harmless to humans (and actually doesn’t really do much to animals other than make them feel a bit peeky for a bit), so even if you do come across it you are in no danger.

wombat7

If I am not mistaken US has also has a least a couple of cases of Mad Cow

Garfield

If you are a cow I would be worried.

willit

It is heartening to know that BSE is eradicated from UK cattle, although this will be news to Defra who have picked up at least 19 cases so far this year.

This is worrying as we were assured that BSE could not pass down from mother to calf, and only occurred because of bad feeding practices. This model showed that BSE would be completely eradicated by the year 2000.

I haven't eaten beef in the UK for 10 years. As BSE and it's human counterpart nvCJD have estimated incubations of up to 30 years, I still have some degree of worry. As I believe the US used some of the same feeding practices that caused BSE in the first place, I am not sure about US beef either.

Scarlett

It is a difficult choice, worry about Mad Cow or Hoof & Mouth or worry about What to Wear.
Usually, I worry about What to Wear. It is so much easier to fall asleep planning a wardrobe than to wonder how to avoid cows on holiday.

I don't eat red meat, so Mad Cow has never actually threatened me personally. You could try that just for the holiday.
I am pretty sure humans cannot catch Hoof & Mouth ( although I seem to think a Fodorite or two in the past came down with something similar) so I think you are pretty safe.

If you are traveling "all through London"...I think you are definitely safe, last time we were there, cows were safely hidden from sight..
mkingdom might know for sure regarding this.


Hope this helps, have a Nice Trip.

david_west

There are cows in london - on Wanstead Flats - and those are bloody tough cows.

annhig

No.

cttork

Okay, thanks for all of the advice. I think my friends are crazy. I appreciate everyone's comments. Honestly, packing is a greater concern.

Tiffany

alya

Too funny!

When we moved to the US we had to pack ALL of our shoes in our luggage- luckily my middle name isn't Imelda!!!!

If we'd shipped them with our furniture and they'd have arrived in the US with no chaperone we would have had to go to the airport to collect them and clean them in front of the Customs officers!!!!!

No worries about the shoes we packed or wore - we had heard rumors about having to walk through disinfecting baths but it didn't happen.

Our camping equipment that spent time in rural areas of the UK was never queried or inspected.

twk

If you're really worried about mad cow disease, just limit yourself to steak or veal. As I understand it, the disease is carried in nerve tissue, so as long as you aren't eating ground meat, and thus aren't eating any nerve tissue, you shouldn't have any exposure.