Ministry denies illegal BSE carcass disposal
In a statement, the Department stressed its handling of all aspects of BSE fully accords with EU and national legislation.
It said this is the subject of ongoing scrutiny from various perspectives by independent bodies such as the EU Food and Veterinary Office, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and others.
And it has been time and again recognised as comprehensive, rigorous and responsible.
The Department said the treatment of BSE positive material is specifically dealt with in EU veterinary legislation and not under the Waste Management Directive.
Under the veterinary legislation, the only approved means of disposal of such material are burial or incineration.
It had discontinued the practice of burial of BSE carcasses in late 2000.
In the absence of any suitable incineration facility within the State, it had been necessary to make interim storage arrangements.
This is pending a resolution of the problem of ultimate disposal of the carcasses.
Since November, 2000 such carcasses have been frozen and stored in a secure, dedicated cold store, owned by the Department and located in County Tipperary.
The Department said it is satisfied it has taken appropriate precautions in relation to the operation of the cold store.
It said it complies with current national and EU animal health, public health, planning and environmental legislation.
The Department said it will continue to manage all relevant aspects of the BSE issue in a manner which protects public health, animal health and the environment, in conjunction as necessary with other statutory bodies.
An Taisce earlier accused the Government of putting human health and the food industry here at risk by failing to designate BSE-positive material as "hazardous waste" in line with EU Directives.
The environmental group was reported to have made a formal compliant to the European Commission over the issue.
Labour Party spokesperson on food safety and consumer affairs Dr Mary Upton called for a comprehensive statement from Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh.
She said he should also clarify concerns about the transportation of specified risk material from abattoirs around the country.
She also wants him to indicate what guidelines are in place to govern this and the transportation of the material out of the country for incineration abroad.
"One of the reasons consumers and producers are so concerned about the BSE issue is because situations like this are allowed to fester without clarification about the guidelines and safety measures to deal with such materials,” she said.
