There was praise for Thomas Jackson of Boghead Farm near Huntly and his vet in the Scottish Parliament this week, after news that a bovine spongiform encephalopathy-infected (BSE) animal had been found in Boghead’s closed herd.

Maureen Watt MSP quoted from the British Veterinary Association’s statement that it was pleased that veterinary surveillance systems had quickly detected the potential risk.

“Both the farmer and the vet involved deserve praise for their part in identifying this case, allowing the authorities to put in place appropriate precautionary measures,” Maureen Watt said to MSPs.

Alexander Burnett MSP thanked the minister for rural affairs and the natural environment, Mairi Gougeon, for the Scottish Government’s speedy response and openness to sharing information.

Gougeon urged any farmers with concerns about potential BSE cases on their farm to “seek immediate veterinary advice”. She will visit Thainstone Mart on 26 October to speak to farmers about BSE.

Handling the headlines

The story was covered widely in the mainstream press with headlines such as Mad cow disease returns to UK’ in The Express and Farm locked down after mad cow disease found in Scotland on Sky News.

Ruth McClean, communications manager at NFUS, who handled over 40 enquiries on the story, commented on media handling of the story: “It’s always interesting to see how a high-profile, and often misunderstood issue, is interpreted and covered by the media.

“It was always going to be difficult to avoid sensationalised headlines with a BSE case, with many choosing to draw readers, viewers and listeners in using the ‘mad cow disease’ line.

“However, once you got into the story, it seemed many were well-balanced and fully-informed.

“It was important for us to […] relay to consumers and the wider industry that this was an isolated case, there was no risk to human health;and that the surveillance procedures previously put in place by Scottish Government had worked on this occasion.

‘‘Thankfully, it seems many journalists took heed of our messages. The proof of how consumers absorbed the content has yet to be seen and we will be working closely with our partners as to what impact, if any, this will have on the markets.”