AS FINE Gael concern about the BSE crisis continues to grow, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, is expected to go to Russia within weeks to have talks "at the highest political level" on the partial beef ban.
Smarting under a tirade of opposition criticism over the Russian beef ban on exports from Cork, Tipperary and Monaghan Mr Yates said last night he will not agree to selective trade with Libya or Iran.
It is understood that the Minister hopes to meet the Russian Prime Minister, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, and the influential mayor of Moscow in an attempt to have the restrictions relaxed.
Meanwhile, during heated debates in the Dail and Seanad on the BSE crisis yesterday Mr Yates ruled out similar veterinary protocols with markets smaller than Russia.
It was claimed in the Cork Examiner that two beef markets were set to demand "Russian-style export bans".
The Minister said he will be "reassuring farmers that I will not be signing any protocols with lesser markets" (than Russia). Since the Russian deal was signed last week, there were no indications that other markets would attempt to set down similar demands, he added.
The Cabinet held a detailed review of the BSE situation in the wake of the partial Russian ban. Senior sources later insisted there were no regrets in Government about the decision to sign the veterinary protocol; refusal to do so would mean an immediate and total ban on Irish beef exports to Russia.
Though Government sources claimed that the problem was being exacerbated by "people trying to score political points so that the issue is kept continually on the boil", senior Fine Gael sources said they were extremely concerned at the electoral impact of the Russian deal.
The political fall-out from the crisis is set to affect Fine Gael's traditional core support among bigger farmers and Fianna Fail has marshalled its Dail strength to inflict the second damaging attack in a week on the Government.
Following last week's debate on the Hepatitis C scandal, Fianna Fail used its Private Members' time yesterday and today to debate a motion condemning Mr Yates's decision to "agree to the arbitrary ban".
The motion also berated the Minister and the Government for their handling of the BSE problem since March 20th, when the House of Commons was told of a possible link between BSE, or "mad cow disease", and CJD in humans.
Vehemently defending his position, Mr Yates warned that there would be further BSE cases - "maybe treble" - in addition to the 38 already recorded this year.
The Republic had the "tightest controls in the world" and he was establishing a task force to monitor the sale and purchase of meat and bonemeal, the product largely blamed for BSE here.
But the Opposition accused the Minister of cowardice, with the Fianna Fail South Tipperary TD, Mr Noel Davern, claiming that Mr Yates had created "the most dangerous precedent" in accepting the Russian ban on three counties.
The BSE dilemma will be debated further in the Dail today and again tomorrow.