Germany's health and agriculture ministers have resigned over their handling of an outbreak of BSE in the country, that damaged public confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government.
German beef products have been banned in Ireland as a result of the outbreak.
Ending weeks of internal arguing in the coalition since the scare broke, Health Minister Ms Andrea Fischer of the Green Party - a critic of factory farming - resigned along with Agriculture Minister Mr Karl-Heinz Funke - a farmer who dismisses more organic approaches to farming.
"I have to acknowledge that public confidence in the government's ability to deal with the BSE problem has been shattered," said Ms Fischer, who was heavily criticised for apparently contradictory advice on the safety of German sausage.
Ms Fischer said she regretted her mistakes but pinned real blame on modern farming methods - many scientists see the cause of the original infection in feeding cattle with meat products.
"The real cause of the crisis is to be found in the industrialised farming economy," Ms Fischer said. "Financial interests dominate and are put above consumer interests. On top of that consumers are reluctant to pay the price for good food," she added.
Mr Karl-Heinz Funke, a member of Mr Schroeder's dominant Social Democratic Party, had spoken up for factory farming, putting himself at odds with the chancellor's latest position.
A farmer himself who long insisted Germany was immune to the brain-wasting mad cow disease, Mr Funke said he was quitting because he lacked cabinet support for his views.
"I have been forced to acknowledge that the farming policies I consider to be appropriate were no longer supported by a majority in the coalition," Mr Funke said. "I want to clear the way for a fresh start that many apparently consider necessary," he continued.
Though neither minister admitted to being sacked, Mr Schroeder's prompt and terse statement accepting their decisions and the even-handed approach to the two coalition parties left little doubt the chancellor had taken the initiative.
Since systematic testing was begun in Germany last autumn, 10 cases have so far been confirmed.
Reuters