THE Minister for Agriculture has introduced strict new tests on animals taken from herds where Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has been identified.
Mr Yates said yesterday all "at risk" animals taken from herds where BSE has been identified will be subject to microscopic post mortem examination before sale.
The Department buys and slaughters all animals off farms where the disease has been found, but until yesterday these animals were only subject to ante and post mortem visual tests. The carcass of the diseased animal is always destroyed by incineration.
In future, the Minister said, the "at risk" animals, which would be those between six and nine years old, will be subjected to microscopic examination to ensure the safety of the consumer.
"While there is no scientific evidence that the disease can be spread from animal to animal or from cow to calf, we will carry out these tests to reassure the consumer," he said.
Mr Yates said he had been advised by his veterinary staff that in most of the cases so far the disease had been identified in dairy herds where there were mature cows.
The British experience has shown the disease is seldom identified in younger animals, and in most of the 160,000 cases BSE has been found in older cows and bulls.
Already the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has spent over £12 million purchasing the remaining cattle from 112 farms where the disease has been found and has slaughtered them.
But last week the Compassion in World Farming organisation complained at the level of testing on the remaining animals and demanded tighter controls.
Last night CIWF said it was still not satisfied with the new controls and pointed out that 50,000 cases of BSE had been identified in British animals which were born after the ban was placed on bone meal feeding there.
Mr Yates was in London yesterday with An Bord Bia meeting buyers from British supermarkets which sell most Irish beef exports. The exports were stated to be worth £210 million in 1995.
He said he had gone to London to assure the British purchasers that there is no indigenous BSE in the Irish herd and that Ireland has the strictest controls in the EU to prevent BSE infected meat entering the food chain.
He said that since the recent scare over BSE, and its possible links to Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease in humans, beef consumption in Britain had dropped by 20 per cent.
He said he had asked An Bord Bia to proceed with plans to brand market Irish beef in Britain in areas where there are concentrations of Irish people.
The Minister added that he would also be working with the British authorities to seek EU aid to promote the sale of red meat in Britain.
"There is agreement that not enough has been done in Britain by the red meat industry to protect itself in either public relations or veterinary terms, he said.
"I will be working with the British Minister of Agriculture, Mr Hogg, and the Ministry of Agriculture in Britain to help them secure EU aid to do this."
The Minister's announcement on tighter controls on BSE and the promotion of Irish beef in Britain was welcomed last night by the Irish Farmers' Association and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association.