Four new cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) were confirmed this week by the Department of Agriculture and Food.
The new cases brought the total number of BSE cases for 2003 to 134 (including one cohort) compared to 242 cases for the same period last year.
The number also included two cases in August that tested positive on the ENFER screening test but because of the conditions of the sample, it was not possible to obtain a definitive confirmation using the standard confirmatory tests.
As a precautionary measure the Department treated these cases as confirmed cases and has followed the standard procedure of whole herd depopulation.
The new cases this week were found in two nine-year-old animals, in herds in Longford and Kerry. Both of the animals were in beef herd.
The youngest victim was a seven-year-old dairy cow found in a Co Cork herd and the oldest animal was an 11-year-old beast also found in Co Kerry.
This week's cases were identified using both traditional passive surveillance and the active surveillance programme.
Under the active surveillance programme, testing of a proportion of fallen stock and cattle destined for human consumption was initiated in July 2000.
This was extended in January 2001 to test all cattle over 30 months destined for human consumption and all casualty animals. Since July 2001 all fallen cattle are also tested.
Over 1.76 million tests have been carried out to-date under the active surveillance programme, over 662,000 in 2001; 688,000 in 2002 and over 408,000 so far in 2003.
A Department of Agriculture and Food statement said the increasing age profile of BSE infected cows indicated the enhanced controls on cattle feed introduced in 1996 and early 1997, were proving effective.