EAAP prepared a comprehensive report on BSE, the aim of which was not to defend the sectional interests of animal production, but rather to enlighten all sectors of society who have to make decisions on this difficult topic and to make preparations for other emergencies in the future.

The BSE epidemic which began in Britain in 1986 plunged the European livestock sector into its largest peacetime crisis in 100 years. Though the epidemic is drawing to a close, the technical and economic impact will continue. Consumer confidence in the integrity of the food chain has been severely damaged. Government agencies and controls have been discredited. Much has been done to correct the deficiencies that led to the crisis. Much remains to be done. Against this background, EAAP commissioned a group of fourteen experts to review the causes and consequences of the crisis. They were asked to place it in the context of the many factors that are forcing the pace of change in the livestock production sector, and in the food chain which it serves. Based on these analyses, they were charged with mapping the future options for the industry. This book begins with the BSE epidemic. Present knowledge on its origin and spread are briefly and authoritatively reviewed; original analyses of its economic i.