The European Commission has proposed a significant simplification of the EU rules on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSEs. These include bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as BSE or mad cow disease, scrapie in sheep and goats, and other related diseases.
The proposal focuses on reducing regulatory and operational burden for competent authorities and operators, while maintaining an appropriate level of protection based on the current epidemiological situation in the European Union. It also aims to align EU requirements more closely with international standards and updated scientific evidence.
In this article, our National Technical Lead for Exports, Georgios Kakarantzas, details the changes proposed by the European Commission.
Scope and affected products
The proposal applies to products derived from ruminants. It concerns the core EU legislation on TSEs, Regulation (EC) No 999/2001, which has governed surveillance, control measures, and trade conditions since the major BSE outbreaks of the 1990s.
What is changing
The Commission proposes to simplify the way certain technical elements of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 can be updated. Instead of lengthy legislative procedures, the proposal would allow faster adaptation of specific requirements where this is justified by risk and scientific evidence.
The areas covered include:
• the approval of rapid and alternative diagnostic tests
• the definition of animal groups that must be tested
• the list of specified risk material, or SRM, that must be removed from ruminants and is prohibited for export to the EU
• the dates from which feed bans apply to non-EU countries and the list of commodities considered safe from BSE or other TSEs.
A key element of the proposal is the addition of gelatine and collagen derived from ruminant bones to the list of products considered safe from BSE. This reflects the latest scientific assessments and would mark an important change for both EU and non-EU producers.
Rationale for the proposal
The proposal is driven by three main factors.
• First, the epidemiological situation in the EU has changed significantly. Surveillance data since 2020 show a very low number of BSE cases, confirming a sustained decline. This trend is summarised in recent EFSA monitoring reports.
• Second, international standards have evolved. In 2023, the World Organisation for Animal Health updated its Terrestrial Code on BSE surveillance, including the scope of bovine populations and age groups that need to be monitored. The Commission proposal seeks to align EU rules with these standards where appropriate.
• Third, new scientific evidence is available. In 2024, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that collagen and gelatine derived from ruminant bones do not pose a BSE risk. The proposed changes reflect this opinion.
Implications for exporting countries
If adopted, the proposal would have clear benefits for exporters. Producers of gelatine and collagen derived from ruminant bones, as well as manufacturers of composite products containing these ingredients, would no longer need to comply with BSE related requirements.
This would mean that raw materials could be sourced from any country, without the need to provide the specific guarantees currently required on origin and processing. Official health certificates would be amended accordingly to reflect the revised risk status of these products.
More broadly, ruminant meat production and processing would be subject to simpler rules, with reduced costs linked to official controls and compliance, both for authorities and for operators.
Timeline
The proposal must be examined by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. This legislative process can take up to two years. If adopted, the new rules could apply in the second half of 2027.
Context
TSEs are a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting animals and humans. In the EU, the most prominent has been BSE, alongside scrapie in small ruminants and chronic wasting disease in cervids. The sharp increase in cases in the 1990s led to the adoption of strict measures under Regulation (EC) No 999/2001.
These measures included compulsory surveillance and annual reporting, development and approval of detection tests, removal of specified risk material such as skull and spinal cord, and strict feed bans to prevent recycling of animal proteins.
More than two decades later, the risk profile has changed. The Commission proposal reflects this new reality and signals a shift towards proportionate, science-based controls, while preserving the core safeguards that underpin consumer confidence and international trade.
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