Strict new animal health regulations covering the sheep disease scrapie which have been introduced by the Department of Agriculture, will mean a reduced turnout of sheep at the RDS Spring Livestock Show this year.
Scrapie is a disease of sheep and goats which belongs to the group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), the same grouping as BSE in cattle.
Unlike BSE in cattle, scrapie can be spread from sheep to sheep on farms, and is a highly infectious agent and difficult to eradicate from flocks. There is a national plan to eradicate it from the country's sheep.
Mr Pat McDermott, the RDS foundation activities manager, explained yesterday that department regulations covering the showing of sheep specified a show had to declare either scrapie-monitored sheep or unmonitored sheep.
"We decided to declare the National Sheep Championships as scrapie-monitored only as the majority of sheep shown by societies are scrapie-monitored," he said.
"Because of this, there will be less than half the sheep we would normally expect at the event which will be held in Goffs, Kill, Co Kildare, on Saturday May 10th," he said.
Despite that, Mr McDermott said he expected at least 200 sheep to be entered in the sheep classes which cover the Texel, CharollaisBeltex, Vendeen and Hampshire Down breeds.
There was a strong entry expected in the cattle classes, and in all he hoped there would be nearly 1,000 cattle and sheep on show on the day.
Of significance to farmers, he said, would be the showing of the Aubrac breed of cattle from central France for the first time.
"These are a wonderful breed of mountain-type beef animals which also give a good milk yield and farmers who are looking for an all-round animal at a time when stocking rates have to be lowered, should be very interested," he said.
Mr McDermott said that there will be a prize fund of €44,000 for winners and the main sponsors were Allied Irish Bank, FBD and Greenvale Animal Feeds.
He said the one-day format of the revised show, which was now being held outside Dublin, had been well received by the farming community.