THE British government is about to launch a reassurance campaign after government scientists said humans can catch BSE ("mad cow disease") if they eat infected beef.
It was reported last night that the government was about to do a U turn about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy after years of denying any link between it and its human version, CJD.
The Health Minister, Mr Stephen Dorrell, is said by the Daily Mirror to be conceding the link after new scientific evidence. His admission is expected to cause beef sales to fall dramatically.
A major advertising campaign is due to begin tomorrow aimed at reassuring people that eating beef is not dangerous. Mr Dorrell is reported to be about to tell MPs that after an upsurge in human cases of Creutsdfelt Jakob Disease government scientists now concede BSE could be transmitted between species.
The Daily Mirror says he will maintain there is no clear link and that deaths in Britain from CJD are at similar level to other European countries. The paper says "Some experts fear we may already have consumed more than a million infected animals and that as the incurable killer disease can take 10 years or more to show up, some people are living on borrowed time."
The Labour agriculture spokesman, Dr Gavin Strang said be wanted to study all new information before reaching any conclusions.