Though in Bangladesh there has not yet been diagnosed any case of mad cow disease, we should all be cautious about it. European companies produce meat and bone meal (MBM) from slaughterhouse waste. As the use of MBM in Europe is severely restricted by EU law, it is reportedly exported to Asian countries (including Bangladesh) where it can legally be used asand in animal feed.
Mad cow disease, or BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), is a disease which attacks the cow's nervous system. One of the unusual things about BSE is that the infection is not spread by a virus or a bacteria; the infectious agents are proteins called prions. Prions are not alive; they cannot be "killed" with heat treatment, and prionic infections cannot be cured with antibiotics or any other medicine.
If humans consume meat which is infected with prions, they can also become infected. The disease in humans is called vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease); it attacks the human brain. It is not treatable and causes dementia and death (about 14 months after the onset of the disease). About 200 people have been diagnosed with vCJD (mainly in Europe, with the largest concentration in the UK) since it was first diagnosed in 1996.
Prions generally infect animals through feed. When cattle are slaughtered, three products are obtained: meat, hide (which is made into leather) and slaughterhouse waste. Slaughterhouse waste is mainly unsellable parts (feet, intestines, bones) and blood.
In industrial countries, slaughterhouse waste is "rendered" (it is cooked, dried and ground) into a product called meat and bone meal (MBM), which is used in animal feed. Farm animals can become infected with prions if they are given feed containing MBM made from BSE-infected cattle.
Humans can, in turn, become infected with prions by eating the meat of infected animals. This is why the UK government has culled over four million cattle which were suspected to have consumed feed contaminated with prions.
In 2001, the EU banned all use of "processed animal protein" (MBM made from any animal) in feed for farmed animals. In spite of this measure, new BSE cases are still seen periodically. In 2007, new BSE cases have been reported in many European countries including UK, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The production and marketing of MBM in the EU is controlled by Regulation 1774/2002 of the European Parliament. According to this regulation, MBM is divided into three categories, each of which must be processed, stored, and used separately.
Category 1 MBM is made from animals which were known (or suspected) to be infected with BSE. This MBM is produced primarily to dispose off BSE-infected cattle. It cannot be used for any other purpose; EU law requires that it must be incinerated or landfilled (buried).
Category 2 MBM is made from animals which were not suspected of BSE infection but which showed signs of some other disease. This MBM can be used as fertilizer (in the EU), or exported as fertiliser. EU law does not allow it to be used in animal feed (in the EU), or exported for use as animal feed, as it is made from diseased animals.
Category 3 MBM is made from unsellable parts of healthy animals. This MBM can be used as fertiliser (in the EU), or exported for use in animal feed (outside the EU). European companies are required by EU law to ensure that all the MBM they export for use in feed is Category 3 MBM.
The feed industry in Bangladesh imports large quantities of MBM from Europe for use in fish and poultry feed. However, the European traders who are exporting MBM to Bangladesh do not specify whether the MBM they are selling is classified as Category 1, 2 or 3.
The Bangladeshi feed industry and the government appear to be blissfully ignorant of the significance of these categories, but the fact is that Category 1 MBM is BSE-infected material which could spread BSE (to cattle) and vCJD (to humans). It is possible that this dangerous material is already being imported and used in fish and poultry feed.
There is a simple solution to this problem. Bangladeshi companies are currently required to get permission from the government before importing MBM. This permission should be given only if the European exporter presents documents proving that the MBM offered is certified as Category 3 material (ie. made from healthy animals only) by the authorities in the country of origin. Import of MBM classified as categories 1 and 2 should be completely banned; these are made from sick animals and should not be used in feed.
The long-term solution, however, is for the government of Bangladesh to sign bilateral agreements with each European country exporting MBM. The agreement should make the government of the exporting country responsible for ensuring that only certified Category 3 MBM is exported to Bangladesh. EU regulations require EU member countries to sign such bilateral agreements with any country to which they are exporting MBM.

Abdur Rahman is a freelance contributor to The Daily Star.