Dairy farmers produce more milk worldwide.
According to a FAO forecast, global milk production is expected to increase by 1.0% in the year 2025. The biggest growth is expected in Asia, as reported by the ZMB.
A case of atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has been identified on a farm in East England. The British Animal Health Authority announced this on May 20, 2025. The affected cow from Essex County showed clinical signs of the neurological disease, also known as "mad cow disease," and was euthanized on-site. Authorities stated that there was never a risk to food safety or human health.
Atypical BSE differs from the classical form of the disease. It occurs rarely, mostly spontaneously and sporadically in older cattle, and is considered non-contagious. Experts believe that this variant occurs in very low levels in all cattle populations worldwide. This is the fourth confirmed case of atypical BSE in the United Kingdom since 2015. The last incident occurred in December 2024 in Scotland.
The news caused a stir in the press in the United Kingdom, primarily because memories of the classical BSE epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s are still fresh. Back then, the disease spread globally, leading to a severe crisis in the beef industry. Millions of cattle were culled in the UK alone after a link was established between classical BSE and the fatal variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. Subsequently, strict control measures were introduced to protect consumers.
Furthermore, the news came at a very unfavorable time, shortly after the UK signed a post-Brexit agreement with the European Union, which includes a reduction in checks on food and plant products.