THE Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, has announced the introduction of a computerised labelling system which will allow carcasses to be traced back to heir place of origin.
The system, developed by the Superquinn supermarket chain, as been prompted by demands from consumers for information on the origins of beef and assurances as to its quality.
Mr Yates' said the system "will ultimately deal with the issue of smuggled animals from Northern Ireland and it will ensure that we have a foolproof checking system, where we can trace back a carcass its farm of origin."
Next week, he said, the system would ensure that no animal could be brought to slaughter "unless we can trace the farm of origin. On the BSE issue, Mr Yates said more people were now eating prime cuts of beef, although sales of minced meat and burgers were still lagging behind.
According to the chief executive of An Bord Bia, Mr Michael Duffy, more than 85 per cent of consumers who were eating, beef before the BSE scare in March are eating beef again. This figure was arrived at after regular contact between An Bord Bia, the suppliers and retailers.
However, an An Bord Bia spokeswoman pointed out that the board has not carried out any formal consumer research on beef sales since April.
The Minister said "the next step will be to put a protocol in place in factories as part of a national quality assurance scheme there will be a labelling, directive in place by Christmas. He said the full animal identification scheme will cost over £10 million.
Meanwhile, a Limerick based development agency which sends in calf dairy heifers to Africa has had its operations suspended because of fears about BSE.
Bothar was planning to send 200 in calf dairy heifers to Uganda and Tanzania this autumn but these countries have banned Irish dairy animals.
Bothar has been sending the animals to impoverished over the past five years. Yesterday the secretary of the organisation, Mr Peter Ireton, said they were "absolutely devastated that this has happened. Their concerns about BSE are unfounded but it's their country.
Intervention by Mr Yates has failed and a Bother board member, a veterinary surgeon, who went out to Africa last week had no success in allaying their fears.
Bothar is to ask the dairy farmers holding animals bound for Africa to sell them and the funds will be used in Uganda and Tanzania to buy cross bred heifers. The organisation hopes to resume its heifer service next year.