Goat meat is subject to the same strict controls as beef

The animal died in 1990 at the height of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak among UK cattle.

If confirmed, it would be the second goat to test positive for BSE following reports last month that a French goat which died in 2002 had the disease.

Further sample tests are to be carried out but results will not be known for up to two years.

More than 100 people in the UK have died from vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease), the human form of BSE, after eating tainted beef.

Few if any goats from 1990 are likely to still be alive today and BSE has not been found in the current UK goat population Food Standards Agency

But the European Commission has stressed that precautionary measures put in place in recent years to protect the human food chain from contaminated meats meant there was no need for alarm.

Debby Reynolds, of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: "It is important to put this initial finding into context.

"It dates back to 1990 which was at the height of the BSE outbreak in cattle and before the reinforced feed ban was introduced in 1996.

"This means that there is a distinct possibility that the animal, if infected with BSE, was exposed to contaminated feed."

'Increased surveillance'

She added that Defra planned to step up its TSE (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) surveillance programme for goats.

"In light of the recent case of BSE in a goat from France, the European Commission says it is important to perform increased surveillance on goats on a European-wide basis to establish the current incidence of TSEs in the goat population."

The goat originated from premises in Scotland but the original keeper is no longer in business there.

The Food Standards Agency said it would not be advising people against eating goat meat or products, including dairy products based on the finding.