MRSA strain found in UK cattle
The Soil Association is calling for the Government to investigate British farm animals carrying MRSA.
Research from the University of Cambridge has revealed that the first cases of MRSA ST398 have been found in UK cattle. The strain was first found in pigs in the Netherlands in 2003, and now accounts for 39 per cent of MRSA cases in the country.
The superbug can cause serious and occasionally fatal infections in humans, and evidence has shown that it is also becoming a cause of mastitis in cows.
Cambridge's researchers say that the high level of antibiotic resistance is making the infection difficult to treat, therefore, the Soil Association is also calling for the government to act to stop the overuse of antibiotics in farming.
The Soil Association has been calling for Defra to test for MRSA since 2007.
"This should be a wake-up call for Defra," said Richard Young, the association's policy adviser. "The European Food Safety Authority recently called on all Member States to carry out regular monitoring of poultry, pigs and dairy cattle for MRSA, but unlike other countries, the UK continues to ignore this request. We are lucky independent researchers identified this problem at an early stage.
"We are calling for comprehensive surveillance to be established before it gets out of hand."
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
