Age matters

Britain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food did not follow advice
on the safe disposal of animals culled during the foot and mouth outbreak,
senior officials admitted last week. Government scientists admit that about 40
of the 10,000 cattle aged over five years buried early in the epidemic are
likely to have been infected with BSE, and infectious prions may have leached
into the water supply. “We were very surprised to find that animals over five
years had been buried,” says Geoffrey Bateson of the Environment Agency.