A new case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, was discovered in Spain, thus raising the number of cases in the country to 20 since the first appearance of the disease in 2000.

Spain's Agriculture and Fishery Ministry said Tuesday that the case was confirmed by the Zaragoza and Algete laboratories in Madrid.

The infected animal, a seven-year-old cow on a farm near the Ciudadela city on the Balearic islands, has died, said the ministry.

As a preventive measure, the government ordered slaughter of all the 157 animals on that farm and their offspring with the same age as the infected cow.

The carcasses of the cows will be incinerated and the owner will receive compensation.