Drop in BSE cases may lead to ending of disease scourge

FEWER BSE cases in January this year could be the beginning of the disease fading away within 18 months, says Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh.

Figures from the Department of Agriculture and Food show 29 cases in January, 2003, compared with 42 in 2002.

A record 333 cases were confirmed in the national herd last year, following an increased active surveillance programme of more than 1.35 million tests (662,000 in 2001 and more than 688,000 in 2002).