A case of BSE has been found in Ireland's top dairy herd, the Department of Agriculture and Food confirmed yesterday. The case was found in the National Dairy Centre's model herd at Moorepark, near Fermoy, Co Cork.
The farm is run by Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority which carries out most of its dairy research there.
According to the Department, the animal with the disease was 4 1/2 years. It was the first in the Teagasc herd. He also confirmed that an animal from another State facility, at Grange, Co Meath, had been investigated for BSE but proved to be negative.
The Moorepark BSE case is not significant as many cases have been found in large dairy herds in Munster. However, it must be embarrassing for the Department which has been boasting about the fall in the number of cases of the disease here.
There have been 230 cases of BSE in the Irish herd since 1989. So far this year, there have been 42, a month-on-month decrease on last year's disastrous total of 74.
