BSE find in young bull ‘likely to be isolated incident’

IRELAND’S 3½ year old BSE bull largely escaped the attention of the international media last week – thanks to a Nobel Prize winning scientist who said all Britons should be tested for variant CJD.

The beef industry here had its fingers crossed after the Department of Agriculture confirmed finding BSE in a 45 month old bull in Limerick, in the course of destroying a herd where a nine year old cow was found positive for BSE.

Significantly, the bull’s mother was negative for BSE, which may have occurred on the farm due to carry-over contamination from meat and bone meal fed to poulty a few years ago.