A single case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, has been confirmed in a cow on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway after routine testing flagged the infection. The animal did not enter the human food chain, and Food Standards Scotland has said there is no risk to human health. The Scottish government confirmed the affected animal has since been destroyed while further tests are carried out to determine the cause of the infection.
Officials describe the case as isolated, though there is some inconsistency in how it has been dated: one account states it is the first case of classical BSE recorded in Scotland since 2004, while the source material accompanying the announcement instead refers to 2024 as the previous benchmark year. Both figures are noted here as reported.
How was the case discovered and contained?
The infection was picked up through the country's routine surveillance programme rather than through any visible symptoms or reported illness, according to the Scottish government. According to a national broadcaster's report, movement restrictions have been imposed on the affected premises, with other livestock that had contact with the infected cow also brought under the same controls. Separately, Rural Payments and Services said the case was identified through routine, intensive surveillance and that the farm's owners are now working with authorities on next steps.
There is also a discrepancy over the strain involved. The original government statement describes this as a case of classical BSE, whereas, according to a national broadcaster's report, the Chief Veterinary Officer identified it as the atypical form of the disease, which is considered non-transmissible to humans. Both characterisations are reported here as they have not been reconciled in available material.
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie welcomed the speed of detection and praised the farmer's response:
The fact we identified this isolated case so quickly is clear proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working effectively.
I want to thank the animal's owner for their diligence.
Their swift action allowed us to identify and isolate the case immediately, minimising its impact on the wider industry.
How does this compare with the 2024 case?
Scotland's most recent prior BSE case, in 2024, also occurred in Dumfries and Galloway. According to the official epidemiology report, that case involved a 19-year-old bovine and was classified as atypical BSE, with investigators finding no evidence that BSE control measures had been breached. The herd's cohort animals and any offspring under 24 months old were culled and tested at the time, with all results returning negative, and the case was recorded under the reference RBSE 24/00006.
Scottish government guidance on the disease states that atypical BSE arises spontaneously in cattle and is not linked to contaminated feed or to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. The 2025 epidemiology report covering the 2024 case concluded that the surveillance system remains robust and effective, and that there was no threat to food safety, human health or animal health arising from that incident. The British Veterinary Association has likewise stated that the animal in the current case did not enter the human food chain and that British beef remains safe to eat.
What happens next?
Investigators are continuing to work to establish the origin of the latest outbreak and to determine whether any additional control measures are required, according to a national broadcaster's report. The affected holdings remain under precautionary movement restrictions while officials trace contacts and assess animals that may have been exposed, per Rural Payments and Services. Further testing of animals that had contact with the confirmed case forms part of the standard response protocol for atypical BSE incidents, according to the British Cattle Veterinary Association.
Key Facts
- A single BSE case was confirmed on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway, identified through routine surveillance testing.
- The affected animal was destroyed and did not enter the human food chain; Food Standards Scotland says there is no risk to human health.
- Movement restrictions have been placed on the farm and on other livestock that had contact with the infected cow.
- Sources differ on whether the strain is classical or atypical BSE, and on whether the last comparable Scottish case was in 2004 or 2024.
- Scotland's previous case in 2024 was classified as atypical BSE, with no evidence of breached controls found.
