The number of recorded cases of BSE - bovine spongiform encephalopathy - so far this year has reached 100, the Department of Agriculture and Food has reported. This is a significant improvement over the figures for recent years, and compares favourably with this period last year when 146 cases were found.
In the same period in 2002, 268 cases were found in the national herd because of intensified testing for the disease across Europe.
While the cases found this week were in older animals, two of the animals came from the same dairy herd in Co Cork. This is unusual in an Irish context where most cases are single ones, probably because there is so much movement of animals here.
Traditionally, calves born in the south of the country, where most of dairy farms are located, are bought and taken north and west before being sold on later to midland and east coast buyers.
Another case of multiple infections involved the discovery of two infected animals in the Teagasc Moorepark dairy herd in Fermoy, Co Cork, one of the best-run dairy herds in Europe.
A Department of Agriculture spokesman said it would be carrying out an investigation into the multiple cases. He also said investigations were continuing into the discovery 10 days ago of an animal which was born in 1998, after, it is believed, controls on cattle feed were fully effective.
The animal was discovered in Co Mayo, and is one of four young animals found over the last two years with the disease.
When it was discovered that even small amounts of infected feed could cause animals to become ill with BSE, compounding cattle feed and pig and poultry rations, which were allowed to contain meat and bonemeal, were segregated. These enhanced controls, introduced in 1996 and 1997, were adjudged to be "optimally stable" since January 1st, 1998, by the EU's scientific committee so technically animals born after that date should not be infected.