THERE should be an immediate ban on the importation of meat pies, sausage rolls and tinned meats from Britain that may be tainted by BSE, Mr Michael Finneran declared in the Seanad.
These products and others which may include contaminated beef or beef offal should be removed from the shelves of shops and supermarkets, he said. The Government had a duty to apply the strictest regulations to protect the health of the public.
Mr Finneran was speaking on a Fianna Fail emergency motion on the effects of the BSE-CJD announcement in Britain on the Irish beef industry.
The debate came at the end of the day's business. It was allowed after four attempts throughout the day to have the issue discussed in the presence of the Minister for Agriculture.
Mr Yates, who was campaigning in the Donegal by election, was strongly criticised for not being available to make a statement to the House particularly since the Dail is in recess this week.
The debate was taken by the Minister of State for Social Welfare, Mr Bernard Durkan.
Mr John Dardis (PD) said the issue had serious and grave implications for the Irish beef industry and took precedence over any by election.
"A £200 million a year trade has been jeopardised by a failure to differentiate the disease free status of Irish from British cattle. The Minister must move decisively to protect the good name of Irish beef on British and international markets," he said.
However, Mr Finneran believed that all parties should unite "to fight in the national interest to protect the good name of Irish beef that is destined for either the home or foreign markets". Fianna Fail had forced the debate in the national interest but the party would join with the Minister and the Government to promote the case abroad that Irish beef is of top quality and in no way tainted with BSE.
Mr Brendan Daly (FF) said that in addition to the £200 million earned from beef exports to Britain, some £360 million came from exports to the Continent and another £360 million from beef sold in other parts of the world. It amounted to £2 billion a year Due to the strict safeguards put in place by successive governments, there had been only 124 cases of BSE in the State's herd. In those cases, all the cattle were slaughtered and their carcases destroyed.
Mr Daly said he was concerned that Irish beef was not marketed distinctively. The Minister for Agriculture should seek to have this issue clarified immediately.
He also asked what steps the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, was taking to allay public anxiety. Since Britain had already put some £4 million into research on the link between BSE and CJD, he asked if the Government intended conducting any research on the matter. There was an urgent need to establish the health of the national herd.
Mr Feargal Quinn (Ind) said he had an active interest in the selling and marketing of meat. In his job, he was also well aware of the concerns of customers.
The image of the high quality Irish beef needed to be safe guarded, and he did not think that the major difference in the grass feeding of Irish cattle was pointed out sufficiently clearly for the average lay person.
While the message of Ireland's high quality should be promoted, Mr Quinn said he would urge caution. The message must be positive and every fact about Irish beef should be "verifiably true".
"I caution the Minister that there is an assumption that by throwing money at advertising, problems will be solved. We must ensure that our house is in order. We must make sure that those who hear the message know the Minister is able to stand 100 per cent behind that message. To satisfy the public, we have to put their minds at rest immediately not just on beef but also on products containing British imports. Then, when we are quite sure of our position, we can be proud of our beef industry and proclaim it from the rooftops."
Replying, Mr Durkan outlined the various stringent controls that existed in the Republic to prevent an outbreak of BSE, and said that Irish controls went far beyond the recommendations of European and world authorities. This had helped considerably to boost the image of Irish beef.
"Also, a considerable amount of time and effort has been devoted to gaining a foothold in the British multiples. An Bord Bia is assessing and monitoring the latest situation and is in the process of formulating a strategy to counteract any negative impact on Irish beef.
"The intention is to take advantage of the controls in place and to exploit the distinctive aspects of the Irish product."
The debate concluded.
The committee stage of the Waste Management Bill, 1995, was passed.
The House adjourned until next Wednesday at 2.30 p.m.