Number of BSE cases down

The number of BSE cases so far this year has fallen to 174 from 320 last year. Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh told the Dáil his department had adopted a proactive approach to disease prevention.

It had introduced controls on the feeding of meat and bonemeal and the use of specified-risk materials before they became mandatory at EU level.

Mr Walsh said the decreasing number of cases and the increasing age profile of infected animals is a positive indication the incidence of the disease will continue to decline as older animals leave the system.