Irish farms have a lower level of cattle mortality than in many developed countries, the Agri Aware organisation has said.
The claim came as the investigation ordered last December by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, into the deaths of nearly 200,000 cattle on farms annually continues.
Mr Walsh questioned the high mortality rate and the announcement of an investigation sparked off criticism of intensive farming methods from animal welfare organisations. Yesterday, Agri Aware said Irish farmers had significantly lower on-farm mortality rates than other countries like Canada, France, the USA, and England, Scotland and Wales.
It said the mortality rate in the State was 2.7 per cent which was well below the figures for England, Scotland and Wales, which were 4.44 per cent in the year 2002. In Northern Ireland the on-farm mortality rate was 2.94 per cent in 2002.
The chairman of Agri Aware, Mr TJ Maher, said the survey dispelled any recent public concerns expressed on this issue.