The Department of Agriculture fears that the suspected BSE case in a Louth dairy farm could see Ireland lose its negligible risk status for the disease.

A decade-long ban on the export of Irish beef and sheep meat has been lifted by countries in the Gulf Region.

Food safety experts played down the risk of mad cow disease entering America's food supply, a day after a government agency detected the first new case of the disease in the US since 2006.

The EU has asked Russian authorities to lift their ban on an annual €75m export trade in live pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats from the EU.

A MARKET for Irish beef that was worth in the region of €15.25 million when it was closed eight years ago is to be reopened.

The Philippines has removed a ban on the importation of Irish beef.

A DECISION by the EU Commission in relation to BSE controls will remove a significant cost for meat processors in Ireland and enable them to boost returns to livestock farmers, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers has claimed.

THE Irish Farmers Association (IFA) this week said it is “outraged” by the Department of Agriculture’s refusal to provide compensation for four breeders it says are at a financial loss as a result of swamp fever restrictions.

LAST December there were reports that some State officials believed it would be safe to include meat and bone meal (MBM) in dog ration again.

THE father of one of the Irish victims of the human form of mad cow disease yesterday criticised Health Minister Mary Harney for "brushing aside" their plea for compensation for the families involved.

A coroner in Dublin has reportedly called for an investigation into a possible cluster of variant CJD cases on the Dublin-Wicklow border.

Catherine Shanahan

The G8 summit risks disappointing anti-poverty campaigners like Bob Geldof and Bono, Chancellor Gordon Brown admitted today.

The makers of Bovril have removed the winter warming drink’s main ingredient - beef - in a bid to boost sales.

Tests were today being carried out at a Dublin hospital on a man suspected of having the first case of vCJD to originate from within the Republic.

A BSE test which to date has earned more than €1.3m in royalty income for University College Dublin has won the inaugural NovaUCD Innovation Award.

RTÉ must have thought their report on the fundraising calendar of the Newbridge girls’ volleyball team would have gone down a treat.

For the good of the community at large, it is vital that the public responds to the appeal for eligible blood donors after new criteria were announced yesterday by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS).

THE recommendations of the FSA (Food Standards Agency) to the British Government on the OTM (Over Thirty Months) animals for the food chain are as anticipated — a phased removal of the ban with testing of animals to be introduced.

Australia moved today to ban Canadian cattle imports after a reported case of BSE.

The European Commission has announced the allocation of €1.3m to cover the cost of slaughtering Irish cattle as part of efforts to eradicate BSE.

The Department of Agriculture is examining reports that an export of beef contained a banned substance, a possible carrier of BSE.

The entire British population should be tested for variant CJD, the human form of mad cow disease, according to the scientist who discovered BSE.

THE Department of Agriculture and Food has re-assured consumers and foreign markets that Irish beef is among the safest in the world following the discovery of BSE in a herd in Limerick.

Fine Gael has called on Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh to declare whether or not BSE controls implemented in the mid-1990s are sufficient to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that a three-and-a-half-year-old bull has tested positive for BSE.

The Department of Agriculture last night declined to comment on reports that a 3.5-year-old bull tested positive for BSE.