Irish beef farmers have been dealt another blow with the announcement of a ban on their products by Australia and New Zealand, as concern about BSE spreads through world markets.
The move was described as a "marketing ploy" by a Bord Bia spokesman, who pointed out it was highly unlikely that any product from Ireland was exported to the Antipodes.
The ban was imposed by the two countries over fears about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and its possible links with the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), according to Australia's chief medical officer, Prof Richard Smallwood.
Ireland was included in the temporary ban on 30 countries including all 15 EU memberstates and 15 other European countries.
The Bord Bia spokesman said Australia, one of the largest beef exporters in the world at 1.5 million, tonnes and New Zealand, exporting 400,000 tonnes, would not be buying product from Ireland.
"However, as our largest competitors out in world markets, the Australians and New Zealanders do not mind at all keeping BSE in the limelight because they claim not to have the disease in their herds," he said.
He said the two countries were also giving a reassurance to their customers, especially in Asia, that there was no possibility of beef coming from Europe which might be shipped on as Australian or New Zealand beef.
Meanwhile the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development reported a strong interest from beef farmers in the application forms which were made available yesterday for the EU Slaughter for Destruction scheme.
"Our offices around the country reported they were very busy coping with the demand for the forms which will be used for the scheme," said a Department spokesman.
It is expected that only some of the 18 designated beef-processing plants which will take part in the Slaughter for Destruction Scheme of cattle over 30 months will begin killing animals next Monday.
And in a new development, some of the factories will seek EU intervention tenders next week to take BSE-free tested beef off the market. This was welcomed yesterday by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh.