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

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 Chile, i.e. the likelihood of the presence of one or more cattle being infected with BSE, pre-clinically as well as clinically, in Chile. This scientific report addresses the GBR of Chile as assessed in 2005 based on data covering the period 1980-2003. A very unstable system between 1980 and 2000 was exposed to a negligible external challenge until 1995 and to a high external challenge between 1996 and 2000. In 2001 the stability of the system improved to an unstable system exposed to a negligible challenge for the latest period between 2001 and 2003. The risk that domestic cattle exposed to imported MBM in the late 90s, entered processing in Chile, is considered as likely. EFSA concludes that the current geographical BSE risk of CHILE (GBR) level is III, i.e. it is likely but not confirmed that domestic cattle are (clinically or pre-clinically) infected with the BSE-agent. Due to the current unstable system, any substantial challenge could lead to an increase of the BSE risk. The improvements of the rendering industry implemented in 2001 and of the feeding system in 2004, should improve the stability of the system and lower the risk of recycling infectivity.