Department probes BSE occurrence

THE Department of Agriculture and Food is trying to establish the age of a cow found with BSE in Kerry last week, as part of a probe into the entire circumstances of the case.

“The case is under investigation,” said a spokesman for the Department, as efforts continued to determine whether the animal from a dairy herd was born before or after stringent BSE animal feed controls were introduced in 1996-1997.

Six other cases of BSE were disclosed last week in Wexford, Kerry, Westmeath, Kildare and Cavan (2). Four of the animals were nine years of age. One was a ten-year-old and the other was aged 11.