CONSUMERS of beef have demanded more information on the BSE situation in the Republic. There was also a call yesterday for the food portfolio to be taken from the Department of Agriculture and Food and given to the Department of Health.
The demands were being made as producer groups called for An Bord Bia to increase its marketing activities overseas and brand beef from the Republic as Irish.
Both veterinary organisations have come out in support of the controls which are in place in the Republic to protect consumers and the food board said it was in touch with customers in the UK to assess the damage to Irish beef exports.
Compassion in World Farming in Ireland called on the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, to make available all the information he has on BSE in Ireland.
CIWF said it had written to the Department on two occasions in January requesting basic information on statistics and policy regarding the disease and had made 12 telephone inquiries.
"The Ombudsman has now been contacted and is looking into this unacceptable delay. CIWF is asking why the Department is refusing the supply this basic information.
CIWF said the scientific basis of herd slaughter should be looked at. It also said compensation above the market value of the cattle should be paid to herd owners where BSE is detected and the meat from these animals must not go into the food chain or into pet food.
The Green Party accused Mr Yates of assisting what it called a consumer con by allowing British beef to be imported into Ireland and processed in this country.
Ms Paula Giles, the Green Party spokeswoman, said the Irish taxpayer was supporting a British beef promotion campaign in Britain through An Bord Bia. "This is a bizarre situation where the Irish taxpayers' money is about to be used to prop up the government of another country, in this case the one which is largely to blame for the disastrous situation in the beef industry," she said.
This was denied last night by An Bord Bia.
The Irish Veterinary Association said it viewed with concern the House of Commons statements on possible links between BSE and CJD in Britain.
"While accepting that no actual link has been demonstrated, it is essential that the necessary research is carried out immediately and that the results of such research be made public in an orderly manner to avoid unnecessary consumer worries," the association said.
It added that the Irish experience with BSE differs from that in the UK, as the risk of exposure for Irish cattle is low because we have a grass based system of production for beef and milk, rather than one based on concentrate feeding.
"All Irish meat is subject to direct veterinary ante mortem and post mortem examination. This inspection system, which includes the removal of the nervous tissue, protected the German market for Irish beef in 1994 when UK meat was banned because of BSE," it said.
The Irish Veterinary Union, which is in dispute with Mr Yates over a new Bovine TB scheme, said its members play a vital role in guaranteeing safety through the inspection of meat in factories.
Mr Pat Brady, the IVU general secretary, said it was inexplicable that the Minister had proposed to abandon financial responsibility for the meat inspection service by abolishing the modest levies paid by farmers to support these services.
"What he is proposing now is to transfer the entire responsibility for funding this service on the industry. Extraordinarily, no farm organisation is on record as seeking this change," he said.
"This raises serious questions about the compatibility of having a combined Ministerial portfolio for farming and food when, as in this case, the Minister's partisanship in relation to the former is so unbalanced," said Mr Brady.
Nevertheless, in relation to BSE, Mr Brady said the Minister is correct but it was regrettable his entrenched anti veterinary policy was leading him in the opposite direction in relation to other aspects of food safety.
The Consumers' Association of Ireland also called for control of the food portfolio to be taken from the Department of Agriculture and given to the Department of Health, so that confidence could be restored to the meat industry.
Mr Peter Dargan, the Kildare based veterinary surgeon who has been highly critical of the Department's policy on BSE, said last night that unfortunately his views on the issue had been proven correct.
"The Minister for Health should be dealing with this problem rather than the Department of Agriculture. We must have a consumer led industry here, not a producer led one," he said.
The Fianna Fail agriculture spokesman, Mr Brian Cowen, said the players in the beef business must reassess the marketing strategy.
"Irish beef is a quality BSE free product. The question of branding Irish beef as Irish must be addressed now. Given that the per capita consumption of red meat has dropped from 22 kg to 15 kg in the UK over the last few years, clearly quality is the key to red meat sales," he said.
Senator John Dardis of the Progressive Democrats called on the Minister to take direct and effective action to minimise the damage to the industry.
The chairman of the IFA's national livestock committee, Mr Raymond O'Malley, said the Irish beef industry needed a clear and distinctive branding campaign to protect and promote the integrity of Irish beef in the UK and on other export markets.