BRASILIA  — The Brazilian government stated on Feb. 22 that it would temporarily suspend beef shipments to China after discovering a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the northern state of Pará.

“All measures are being adopted immediately at each stage of the investigation and the matter is being treated with total transparency to guarantee Brazilian and global consumers the recognized quality of our meat,” said Carlos Fávaro, minister of agriculture and livestock (MAPA) in Brazil.

The government agency added that it notified the World Organization for Animal Health and samples were sent to one of their labs in Alberta, Canada, to confirm whether the case was atypical.

The animal with BSE was slaughtered and incinerated at the property. The Brazilian veterinary service plans to conduct an epidemiological investigation depending on the testing results.