THE Fianna Fail leader, Mr Ahern, has expressed doubts that the revamped Operation Matador - to keep BSE animals from Northern Ireland out of the Republic - will be as effective as the present operation.
"I doubt if it will work as well as the fixed patrols but we will wail and see how it works," said Mr Ahern, when he visited the ploughing championships yesterday.
In a wide-ranging review of the agricultural sector, Mr Ahern criticised the handling of the BSE crisis, the beef promotion campaign and the handling of the Iranian market.
Mr Ahern, who said Fianna Fail had identified the crisis in agriculture long before the Government, said it started last autumn with the cuts in export refunds on beef and live cattle.
"March 20th last was just a continuation of what had been happening and we can say in Fianna Fail that we have used more private members' lime on this issue than any other party," he said.
The Minister and his Government, he said, had failed to spot what was going on or address the issues in an industry worth £1.7 billion, with 100,000 people directly involved.
Mr Ahern said it was important that Southern farmers could give guarantees to customers and changing Operation Matador at this time was not a good idea.
"I have doubts about how the new system will operate and if other things hot up, it will not be the job of the Army to watch for cattle," he said.
"I will wait and see how it works, but I don't think it's the right signal to be sending out to our customers at this stage."
Mr Ahern said it was his understanding that the market in Russia for Irish beef, although in jeopardy, is not yet lost.
"I appeal to the Minister to make this situation a personal political priority. He should personally head the official delegation that is going to Moscow," he said.
Mr Ahern also accused the Government of mishandling the Iranian market by not operating the Irish/Iranian Joint Trade Council since coming into office.
As a result, he said, Ireland had lost markets to the Danes and the Australians and would not have an opportunity to tender again until next January.
Mr Ahern, who was accompanied by Mr Brian Cowan TD and Mr Hugh Byrne TD, was also critical of the way the Government is promoting beef at home, and said he had visited third-level colleges in recent weeks and saw no attempt to persuade the young to eat meal.
He said beef should be marketed more aggressively to young people, who had turned away from it. He said one of his own children refuses beef.