A call for a full investigation into why cattle continued to be infected with BSE following the imposition of strict rules covering the feeding of meat and bonemeal was made last night.
It came from Dr Mary Upton, Labour's spokeswoman on agriculture and food, following the discovery of another six-year-old animal suffering from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy this week. The animal, from a herd in Co Cork, was one of the five new cases reported this week, bringing the number of cases of the disease so far this year to 88.
This is a dramatic decline on the numbers reported in the same period last year, when 139 cases were recorded.
Welcoming the downward trend in the number of infected animals, Dr Upton said she was glad to note that the number of cases was falling.
"However, there is no valid explanation being given as to why there has been a number of cases in animals born after 1996 when we were told all unsafe feeding practices had been eliminated," she said.
She said the Irish public were told in 1990 that the removal of meat and bonemeal from cattle diets would mean an end to the disease in cattle. That had not happened.
"I would like to see a focused investigation as to why, after the 1996 regulations were tightened up, there continues to be cases of the disease," she said.
"I would also like more information on the circumstances surrounding the discovery of two cases of the disease last year in three-year-old animals," she said.
"There had been reports that these were as a result of an unregistered rendering plant in that area but I would most certainly like to know the full facts surrounding these cases."
The feeding of contaminated meat and bonemeal to cattle was identified as the cause of the spread of the disease in cattle herds in 1989.
The EU imposed an immediate ban on feeding meat and bonemeal to cattle, sheep and goats but allowed meat and bonemeal to be fed to pigs and poultry.
However, British scientists discovered in 1996 that cattle feed continued to be contaminated at mills and compounding plants where cattle and pig and poultry rations were being prepared with the same equipment.
Strict controls were put in place both here and in Britain which segregated the manufacture of pig and poultry feed from cattle feed to end cross-contamination.
This should have eliminated all cases of BSE in cattle born from 1996 onwards.
A statement from the Department said yesterday the effectiveness of Ireland's BSE controls was recognised by the EU's Scientific Steering Committee, which indicated, in a report on Ireland's BSE risk published in May 2000, that controls in this country were stable from 1996 onwards, very stable from 1997 onwards, and optimally stable since January 1st, 1998.
"The range of controls in place to protect consumers and to eradicate the disease continues to be rigorously enforced.
"In particular it should be noted that specified risk material is removed from all cattle slaughtered," it added.