THE Government has mobilised diplomats worldwide to prevent Irish beef being banned in the increasing number of countries where British beef has been forbidden because of the BSE scare.
Yesterday morning, the Irish diplomatic initiative dissuaded the German government from banning Irish beef products after it announced a ban on all British and Swiss meat products Switzerland has the second highest European rate of BSE infection in its herd with 200 cases of the disease.
Two years ago the Germans imposed a unilateral ban on both British and Irish beef imports following a television programme linking BSE with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
Then, the Irish ban was lifted within one week but the British ban remained.
Only Jordan has imposed a ban on Irish beef but a Department of Agriculture spokesman said Jordan had not imported any Irish beef since 1990.
There are already indications that one sector the 48,000 sheep farmers may benefit greatly from the crisis. In Britain yesterday, hoggets, yearling lambs, were making nearly £2 per lb, and demand for hoggets at Irish sales increased as did the price, in some cases by nearly 40 per cent.
Some Dublin supermarkets yesterday reported a rise in sales of white meats and fish, as shoppers showed signs of switching away from beef.
In the Supervalu store in Malahide, beef sales yesterday were down by at least 30 per cent, according to the duty manager, Mr Derek McNally. "Sales of beef started slowly this morning, but improved as the day went on. Chicken lamb and pork sales are way up.
Mr Ronnie Carey, a spokesman at Superquinn in the Blackrock Ccntre, commented last night. "Customers are asking a lot of questions about beef. But once we have reassured them that our beef is from Irish suppliers, it's okay. Fish sales have jumped, however, and it's not just because it's Friday."
In Moore Street in Dublin, butchers were putting on a brave face. Mr Tom Buckley, a director of the F.X. Buckley chain of butcher's shops, said if the "hype" continued, businesses would be badly affected. But customers were reassured when they were told it was Irish beef on sale he said. There was mixed feelings among shoppers about the dangers of eating beef. Most felt the problem was solely a British one, but others said they would not risk eating beef.
McDonald's Restaurants of Ireland Ltd issued a statement saying it used only 100 per cent Irish beef from prime cuts in which BSE has never been detected. It said it never had and never would use offal in the production of its hamburgers.
An Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, has taken advertisements in today's newspapers reassuring shoppers "You can be sure of Irish beef".
The British Consumers Association yesterday advised the public to stop eating British beef immediately if they wished to avoid the risk of catching the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Meanwhile, An Bord Bia yesterday held a meeting of beef exporters, processors and producers. A spokeswoman said the meeting had been called to assemble all available facts on the situation and form a co-ordinated approach to the issue. Among the processors who attended was Mr Larry Goodman.
The British scare has had little impact so far on Irish cattle prices, which remained firm at marts throughout the country yesterday. In some marts, the prices paid were marginally up on this time last week.
As 60 veterinary science experts met in Brussels to look at new evidence from Britain, the EU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Mr Flynn, who was on an official engagement in Dublin, said Ireland could ban British beef imports on public health grounds. He predicted a sharp decline in beef consumption as a result of the BSE scare, but said EU intervention would be available if there was a dramatic decline in price and consumption.
"However, we must await the outcome of the scientific reports from the EU Veterinary Standing Committee and work on the assumption there is a link between BSE and CJD in Britain," he said. He added that existing controls must be tightened and that further research is required. All scientific evidence, he said, must be communicated to the public. He praised the controls already in place here.