The new information linking BSE-infected beef to the new form of CJD has come at a bad time for the Irish beef trade as it prepares to process up to 700,000 cattle in the run-up to the main processing season.
There is also growing concern that BSE figures for the year may equal or even exceed last year's total, which brought about a near collapse of the beef trade.
Following statements in the British House of Commons on March 20th last year, beef consumption over Europe fell by 50 per cent, prices collapsed and EU intervention was reintroduced.
Markets have just started to recover even though there is the equivalent of two million cattle in EU cold-rooms under the intervention system.
Monthly figures published yesterday showed there were seven cases of BSE confirmed in the national herd, bringing the total so far this year to 55. Last year there were 74 cases, most of them in the last six months.
The figures were published following what appears to be a breakthrough in the live trade to Egypt following the weekend visit of the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, to the Egyptian capital.
Agreement has been reached on providing a written plan before the end of this week for a trial shipment of animals to Egypt. But the Egyptians are insisting that there be Irish technical input into removal of the so-called specified risk material, spinal cord, spleen, brain and other parts of the animal which may be subject to BSE infection.
Last May, the Egyptians had put forward a plan that Ireland build a special £5 million plant for this purpose, but it is now emerging that Irish exporters may lease a meat plant in Egypt to secure the £150 million live trade.
The latest scientific reports will strengthen the Egyptians' argument and will apply further pressure on Ireland to provide the facilities they require, including incinerators to burn this material.
The September BSE cases were in Westmeath, Monaghan, Tipperary, Cavan, Wicklow and Louth and bring to 244 the number of cases so far recorded in Ireland since the disease was first identified in 1989.
The Westmeath case involved a six-year-old cow from a 102-strong suckler herd. The first Monaghan case was also a six-year-old from a dairy herd of 65 animals and the second one was a seven-yearold dairy cow from a herd of 134.
The Tipperary case involved a four-year-old dairy cow from a 139-strong herd, the Cavan case was in a six-year-old suckler cow from a herd of seven and the Wicklow animal was a four-year-old cow from a 284-cow dairy herd. The final case was in a seven-year-old cow from a suckler herd of 78.
While the level of infection is very low, customers such as Egypt, which is expected to take 60,000 tonnes of beef from here this year, and Russia, which has a partial ban on animals from some counties, must continue to be convinced that Ireland can eradicate the disease.