A NEW case of BSE has been discovered, the second in Co Longford in as many weeks, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The latest case occurred in a cow from a herd of 40 animals. Another animal in Co Longford was confirmed as having the disease on May 24th. The cow was destroyed and buried on the farm, while its head and spinal cord were taken to the State Laboratory at Abbotstown, Co Dublin.
This is the 13th case this year and confirms a rise in the incidence of the disease in the Republic. According to the International Office of Epizootics in Paris, Ireland reported 16 cases of BSE last year and 10 in the first quarter of 1996.
The total number reported since 1989 stands at 12. More than 16,000 cattle from herds where the disease has been identified have been slaughtered.
The overall incidence of the disease is slight, however, compared with the 14,223 cases of BSE recorded in Britain last year.
More than 200 cattle have been seized and destroyed since a large security operation was mounted along the Border following the BSE crisis in March, at a weekly cost of about £500,000. Some 16,000 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the North.
Meanwhile, extra certification is being demanded for poultry moving south from Northern Ireland, after an outbreak of a turkey virus in the North. Some turkeys in Co Monaghan have contracted the virus.