Germany Testing for ‘Mad Cow’ in Cattle Over 30 Months Old

BERLIN — Germany launched nationwide tests Wednesday for all beef from cattle older than 30 months in its bid to win back consumer confidence shattered by the Europe-wide “mad cow” scare.

The government agreed to the move, along with a blanket ban on meat-based animal feed that took effect over the weekend, in anticipation of a package of similar measures that will take effect throughout the European Union beginning Jan. 1.

Until last month, Germany prided itself on being free of mad cow disease, which is also known as BSE, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and has been linked to a similar brain-wasting disease in humans.

The discovery of the first two cases of BSE in German cattle in November has led to plummeting beef sales in the country and accusations that Berlin ignored health risks.

Agriculture officials said Wednesday that farmers scrambling to find feed could encounter temporary shortages. The six-month ban adopted by the EU this week on fodder containing ground-up animal byproducts applies not only to sales at feed stores but to stocks already in barns.