Sir, - In your edition of December 31st, you published a story (Home News, Page 5) by Patsy McGarry under the headline "8 counties exceed BSE limit set by Russians". Your reporter quoted BSE figures for Northern Ireland, claiming there had been 5,000 cases of BSE in 1989 and 1,733 cases during 1996 up to mid November.
These figures are inaccurate and inflated. In fact, the number of BSE cases in Northern Ireland, since the disease was first identified is only 1,738 and the number for the en, tire year of 1996 is a mere 82, just nine cases than, in the Republic of Ireland.
This is the second time in recent months that The Irish Times, a newspaper of record, has published inaccurate figures for BSE cases in Northern Ireland. I am sure you will agree that it is in no one's interest, least of all beef farmers in either part of Ireland, to spread such damaging and inaccurate misinformation. - Yours,. etc.,
Deputy principal press officer,
Department of Agriculture,
Dundonald House,
Stormont, Belfast.