An urgent epidemiological investigation is being carried out by the Department of Agriculture and Food into the youngest case of BSE found so far in the Republic.
The Department confirmed yesterday it had discovered Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in the pedigree Montbeliarde bull which was registered as being born on February 18th, 1999.
The Department said the bull was part of a Co Limerick herd of 105 animals on a mixed dairy and poultry farm and, based on the result of the inquiry so far, there "was no evidence of a deliberate breach of the 1990 or 1996 regulations banning the feeding of meat and bonemeal to cattle".
The investigation is concentrating on a farm silo which had been used to store poultry feed up until the end of 1996 and for the storage of cattle rations from 1998.
The case was uncovered when a 1993 home-bred Friesian cow from the herd was found to have the disease when it was tested at a knackerie in the active surveillance programme.
When the herd was being slaughtered, the bull was found to have BSE and this was finally confirmed following tests on Wednesday.
It was established that the bull had not been born on the farm on which it was diagnosed and had been sold at 14 months from another Limerick dairy farm of 82 animals.
The dam (mother) of the bull and four other siblings remain alive, according to the Department and all are apparently healthy.
Scientists working on the case have established that the bull was not fed milk replacer but did receive a large volume of proprietary concentrates in its first 14 months.
The Department said at this stage there was no evidence that either landowner had meat and bonemeal for use as a primary feed ingredient and there was no home mixing of feeds on the two farms.
The investigation found that all feeds used on both farms were purchased either locally from co-ops or directly from local feed compounders. These formulations are currently being investigated.
The herd owner purchased his poultry feed directly from a mill which did include meat and bonemeal in poultry ration up until the end of 1996.
The investigation is also looking at the spreading of litter from the poultry houses on the land which was subsequently grazed by the bull.
Speaking from Brussels yesterday the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, said the discovery of the animal showed that Irish controls were working.
"Under the controls we operate, there is no way that infected meat from a BSE animal can get into the food chain," he said.
The Minister said that less than 2 per cent of cases - five animals - had been identified in animals aged under six this year, compared with 16 per cent in 2001 and 40 per cent in 2000.
He added there was no cause for alarm by consumers because of the degree of care taken to protect the food chain here.
"We have very tight controls at all levels and they are belt and braces controls put in place to protect consumers," he said.
The main farming organisations also rowed in behind the Minister, saying there was no cause for consumer alarm and this was an isolated case.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said the discovery of the animal showed the need for vigilance at all levels of production.