Volume 1: Findings and Conclusions
Executive Summary of the Report of the Inquiry
2. The identification of the emergence of BSE

• Individual cattle were probably first infected by BSE in the 1970s. If some lived long enough to develop signs of disease, these were not reported to or subject to investigation by the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) of the State Veterinary Service (SVS).
• The Pathology Department of the CVL first investigated the death of a cow that had succumbed to BSE in September 1985, but the nature of the disease that had caused its death was masked by other factors and was not recognised at the time. This is not a matter for criticism.
• The Pathology Department considered two further cases of BSE at the end of 1986 and identified these as being likely to be a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) in cattle. This identification was commendable.
• This part of the story demonstrates both the benefits and the limitations of the passive surveillance system operated by the SVS.