Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE, also called ‘mad cow disease’, does not occur in Australia. Overseas the disease has been shown to spread through meat meal fed to cattle. New South Wales has banned the feeding of all animal material, such as meat or bone meal, fish or feather meals, to ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and deer.

The bans provide insurance against any spread of the disease in Australia and satisfy the requirements of some of our meat export markets. Topics covered in this Primefact include the following:

• Why control stock foods?
• What are stock foods?
• The four point plan to avoid BSE in NSW herds and flocks
• Are horse feeds stock food?
• Minimum labelling requirements.