UK Secures Negligible BSE Risk Status for Beef

UK Achieves Negligible BSE Risk Status, Boosting Beef Export Hopes

The United Kingdom’s beef industry has received a major boost with the official recognition that it holds negligible risk status for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). The decision, confirmed by EU member states, is a landmark achievement that reflects years of stringent on farm assurance, traceability, and feed controls implemented in the wake of the BSE crisis of the 1990s.

This new status is expected to significantly enhance confidence in British beef on the global stage and is a crucial step in unlocking and expanding access to valuable international export markets. Industry bodies, including Red Tractor, played a key role in providing the evidence required to secure the negligible risk status, demonstrating the robustness of the UK’s production and safety standards. For beef producers, this development underscores the long-term value of assurance schemes and the collective industry effort to rebuild and protect the reputation of British beef.

Source: Red Tractor | 16 January 2026