NEW regulations covering the disposal of animals from Irish farms where Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has been identified are likely to be announced in London by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, today.
The Minister is visiting a branch of Sainsbury and hosting a dinner in the Irish Embassy for the main purchasers of Irish beef in Britain.
The visit is part of a promotional drive for Irish beef in Britain, where the market is worth over £190 million a year. Irish beef is sold mainly through supermarket chains but is not identified as Irish.
Recently, the Department of Agriculture came under attack from consumer groups for not carrying out tests for BSE on animals it purchases from farms where BSE has been identified before allowing them into the food chain. The Department has a policy of purchasing all animals on a farm where BSE, commonly known as "mad cow disease", has been identified, even though there is no evidence that the disease can be spread from animal to animal or from cow to calf.
Mr Yates is thought likely to announce today that all animals from such farms will be tested for the disease before being allowed into the food chain.