The first Irish "tested BSE-free" cattle moved through Irish meat plants yesterday as beef factories concentrated on the market rather than the Slaughter for Destruction Scheme.
Factories seeking animals for commercial beef sales were paying 3p to 4p per lb more for cattle under 30 months, which do not have to be tested, and on average 1p to 2p more per lb for older cattle which passed the BSE Enfer test (a post-mortem test which ascertains the presence of BSE). At least two plants, one in Wexford and the other in Co Mayo, are expected to operate the Slaughter for Destruction Scheme from today.
At a meeting yesterday of An Bord Bia, called to discuss the continuing BSE crisis, the Irish Farmers' Association president, Mr Tom Parlon, said the widely quoted figure of 750,000 animals for destruction was "a total overestimation".
"With an effective testing regime and the reopening of the commercial markets, the 750,000 animals could be reduced by a half. It is essential that arrangements for testing and selling into commercial markets operate effectively," he said.
If the testing procedures operated properly, they would keep the number of animals destroyed to a minimum.
"Ireland is now the first country in Europe to be able to guarantee that every animal is tested BSE-free before it enters the food chain," Mr Parlon said.
However, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association president, Mr Pat O'Rourke, was not so positive about the destruction scheme. He said the floor price provided by the scheme was totally inadequate.
Meanwhile Green MEP Ms Patricia McKenna condemned the call by Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, to build an incinerator to burn culled cattle. It was completely nonsensical to spend State funds to build an incinerator to deal with a once-off problem, she said.
She added: "The Government's attempt to introduce incineration by the back door, using the pretext of dealing with the BSE crisis, is groundless and should be strongly opposed. Once the incinerator is built, it will be there for the long haul and this will create an economic incentive to produce more waste to keep it going," she said.