Scientific Report of the European Food Safety Authority on the Assessment of the Geographical BSE-Risk (GBR) of NAMIBIA

The European Food Safety Authority and its Scientific Expert Working Group on the Assessment of the Geographical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Risk (GBR) were asked by the European Commission (EC) to provide an up-to-date scientific report on the GBR in Namibia, i.e. the likelihood of the presence of one or more cattle being infected with BSE, pre-clinically as well as clinically, in Namibia. This Scientific Report addresses the GBR of Namibia as assessed in 2004 based on data covering the period 1980 - 2003. Cattle imported from the Republic of South Africa which could have been rendered, represent a low external challenge the second half of the nineties. MBM did not enter the domestic BSE / cattle system and did not contribute to an external challenge. As the cattle system was very unstable between 1980 and 2001 and unstable in 2002 - 2003, it is unlikely but can not be excluded that the external challenge by cattle imported in the second half of the nineties led to an internal challenge since the end of the nineties. EFSA concludes that the current GBR level of Namibia is II, i.e. it is unlikely but can not be excluded that domestic cattle are (clinically or pre-clinically) infected with the BSE-agent. Until the stability is increased, it is expected that the GBR continues to grow, even if no additional external challenge occurs.