Fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, mad cow disease, are spreading across Europe. New incidents of the disease have been identified in herds across the continent. Several suspected cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human variant of BSE, have been reported as well. European governments must act quickly to restore faith in their food safety programs. They fight an unpredictable disease and their own sad histories in this field.

BSE first claimed international attention in the 1990s, when an epizootic -- the animal equivalent of an epidemic -- was reported in Britain. It is believed that BSE is transmitted when the meat of an infected animal is used for animal feed, a common practice around the world. The disease jumped species -- despite assurances that that was impossible. More than 80 deaths in Britain have been attributed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

In response to fears of BSE, the European Union in 1996 imposed a ban on British beef. After the country culled its herds, the European Commission, over French and German opposition, lifted the ban. A testing and certification system was put in place, and the crisis was thought to have been averted.