The outbreak of BSE in the 340-strong pedigree herd in Co Cork may throw new light on how the disease occurs, the Department of Agriculture said yesterday.
Because it is the premier herd in the country, complete records of everything fed to the animals and where they came from are available, said a Department spokesman said yesterday.
He was speaking as an intensive investigation began into the BSE case in the Teagasc centre in Fermoy, Co Cork, which is expected to cost the Irish taxpayer more than £250,000.
Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, can expect similar compensation to other farmers on whose lands BSE is identified.
The State buys and destroys all the animals on such farms and, although there is no evidence that the disease can be spread from animal to animal, the entire herd is taken out of the food chain.
This policy was introduced in the early part of the decade by the then Minister for Agriculture, Mr Michael O'Kennedy.
So far, the Irish taxpayer has paid over £22 million in compensation for the slaughter of 31,500 animals from farms where the disease was found.
It may appear expensive but it has kept Ireland's overseas markets open and, even during the BSE crisis in March last year, this policy allowed us to continue to sell Irish beef abroad.
The Department of Agriculture said yesterday that the Moorepark case may have a silver lining as it is the best documented herd in Ireland.
"We know where every animal came from, what it was fed on and its cohorts. It may give us a rare insight into the spread of BSE in the State," he said.
The case may trigger the slaughter of the 350 animals in the herd and their followers, and next week assessors will determine the value of the herd.
Some of the animals may be held for further scientific investigation but this will depend on the outcome of the investigation currently under way.
Scientists believe that the disease has been spread by the feeding of contaminated fodder. There have been 230 cases in the Republic since 1989 and 41 cases so far this year.