The EU's Standing Veterinary Committee is expected to ratify a proposal from the European Commission that it revise the basis on which countries are categorised as having a high or low BSE risk.
The Commission proposed in Brussels yesterday that countries with fewer than 200 cases of BSE per million in animals over 24 months should be regarded as low risk. The current level is 100 cases per million animals.
There had been concerns that additional testing of animals not destined for the food chain could drive up the BSE figures above 100 cases per million and this would prevent countries from exporting their cattle to EU and third country markets.
Ireland is still below the 100 per million mark but increased testing at knackeries has led to a dramatic rise in the number of recorded cases in the past 18 months.