Negligible and Controlled Risk Status

New status controls have been included on APHIS to identify Negligible Risk (NR) and Controlled Risk (CR) animals.

Earlier in the year, Northern Ireland was awarded the highest Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) status, NR status. This was a recognition of the efforts by the Agri-Food industry and DAERA in controlling Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). This means that there is a reduction in the risk materials which must be disposed of, to the skull excluding the mandible, and including the brain and eyes and the spinal cord of animals over 12 months. This will apply to cattle born and exclusively reared in Northern Ireland.

As part of our controls to ensure animals which do not satisfy this condition, a CR status will be applied on APHIS from 19 November 2017. All animals imported into Northern Ireland or which have left Northern Ireland and returned later will be given CR status which will appear on herd lists, at markets and abattoirs.

The CR status will also apply to animals which have left Northern Ireland to attend shows in Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland. Where these animals have returned to Northern Ireland within 24 hours, or if longer and guarantees/assurances are received that the animal(s) did not receive feeding stuffs from that country, their local Divisional Veterinary Office (DVO) can remove the CR status.

In the case of cattle imported from Scotland, which also has NR status, a CR status will be applied to individual animals. However, if the identity/status of the animal is certified on a veterinary certificate as NR, then the CR status will be removed by the local DVO.

Notes to editors: 

1. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is one of a group of diseases of the brain which can be fatal.
2. The Government has had in place a range of livestock, food and feed controls since the late 1980s which have been very effective in controlling BSE.
3. There are strict rules laid down for the prevention, control and eradication of such disease.
4. The UK Government made BSE a notifiable disease in 1988.
5. Negligible Risk status is awarded to those countries or regions which satisfy the OIE requirements in relation to BSE controls and the date of birth of the last classical BSE case.
6. Cattle which are CR status have an increased list of materials which must be disposed of – this includes parts of the intestines.
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