Fears that Irish beef exports to the UK may be hit by the growing nationalisation of the markets have heightened.
A circular sent to council environmental health officers in the UK has called for stricter inspection of imported beef.
The document, from the Food Safety Standards Agency, said it had reviewed BSE controls and had found loopholes which could increase the risk to consumers.
"It is therefore vitally important that we do everything in our powers to prevent the sale in the United Kingdom of over-30month-old beef cattle . . . It is of the utmost importance that checks on consignments of imported beef from countries with a known BSE risk are carried out vigilantly and at this time that those checks are stepped up.
"I recognise that there is no scientific diagnostic test which will prove that beef is from over-30-month cattle but it is certainly possible to carry out checks on documentation which accompanies the meat and also question importers and retailers regarding the traceability of the beef which they are importing," the circular said.
The Irish Meat Association chief executive, Mr John Smith, said yesterday that the tighter inspections would not present any difficulties for Irish exporters who did not supply beef over 30 months old to the UK. However, other sources said increased checking of documentation had led to delays, and the industry feared the checks were being used as a market-protection tool by the British authorities.
Figures issued yesterday showed that beef consumption in Britain was almost back to pre-1996 levels and increased by over 9 per cent in the third quarter of this year. Last year Ireland exported 115,043 tonnes of beef to the UK, valued at £234 million; 13 million tonnes of this went to Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the new checks, a Food Safety Authority of Ireland spokesman said people should rise above political and trade considerations and focus on health issues.
Russia, one of Ireland's most important markets, yesterday reported what could be the first case of variant CJD. The victim was a 29-year-old sailor.