A controller of the Dutch Institute for Cattle and Meat Control (RVV) takes a sample from a cow's head for a rapid 36-hour bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) check at a slaughterhouse in Bodegraven January 9th, 2001. Last week a 1000 checks were made for the disease, which scientists have linked to new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a human version of a fatal, brain-wasting disease.