The number of cases of BSE in the Republic has jumped by 20 over a three-week period. The details emerged yesterday just hours before it was learned that the Egyptian authorities had imposed a temporary ban on beef from the EU.
News of the increase was presented to the Dail by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Mr Walsh. It represents the highest number of cases in any month since the disease was detected.
On Tuesday Mr Walsh said that up to the end of 1995 between 14 and 19 cases of the disease were recorded annually. In 1996 this figure increased to 74, and in the following years there were 80, 83 and 95 cases, respectively.
"For this year, the total number of cases stands at 120, with four further cases detected under the programmes for the testing of animals from depopulated herds and active surveillance," he said. "For this month to date, 19 cases have been detected under the normal surveillance regime, and one further case which was confirmed at my Department's laboratory."
Mr Walsh said the number of cases detected since 1989 was low for a cattle population in excess of 7.5 million. Within hours of the Minister's statement, the European Commission announced:
Its intention to impose a temporary ban on the feeding of meat-and-bone meal to all farm animals.
A requirement that all cattle aged over 30 months be tested for BSE to enhance consumer confidence.
That the list of "specified risk materials" to be excluded from the food chain be extended to include the entire intestines of bovines of all ages.
A temporary ban on the feeding of meat-and-bone meal to all farm animals.
A "purchase for destruction scheme" to be introduced to remove from the food chain all cattle over 30 months unless they have been tested for BSE with a flexible "public intervention scheme" to address the drop in producer prices.
Industry sources insisted yesterday that these requirements would not have a great impact on Ireland which was moving as quickly as possible to test all cattle over 30 months being slaughtered. The Department of Agriculture said this week it would be necessary to test 750,000 cattle annually if regulations were brought in to test all those over 30 months at the point of slaughter.
The chairman of the Irish Cattle Traders' and Stock owners' Association, Mr Charlie Reilly, last night called on the Taoiseach to mount a diplomatic offensive to reverse the Egyptian ban. It should be a priority, he said, for the Government to intervene at the highest level in what had become an intolerable situation.
The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association, Mr Pat O'Rourke, again called on the Department to press ahead with testing of all cattle over 30 months as a matter of urgency and called for a diplomatic effort to have the Egyptian ban lifted. The Green Party called for the banning of animal-derived feed to all animals following the latest increase in BSE figures.