Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The incidence of BSE in Ireland is in decline. The number of cases peaked in 2002 at 333, following the introduction of mass surveillance at slaughter plants and knackeries in 2001. Almost 700,000 animals per annum are tested in Ireland under this surveillance regime. Despite this the numbers of animals confirmed with the disease fell to 182 in 2003, 126 in 2004 and 69 in 2005. To date in 2006 there have been 16 cases of BSE which represents a decrease of 16% on the number of cases discovered in the same period in 2005 which was 19.

The vast majority of these cases were in animals born prior to the introduction of additional controls in 1996 and 1997. Investigations are carried out into the feeding regimes of all herds in which BSE is identified and in particular in herds in which cases born after the feed controls were re-enforced are confirmed. Within the context of the overall picture, the diagnosis of BSE in a small number of animals born after 1997 was to be expected. To date, 16 animals born after 1997 — four in 1998, seven in 1999, three in 2000 and two in 2001 — have been diagnosed with BSE. In addition, 11 cases were confirmed in 1997 born animals but some of these were born before all the re-enforced measures were fully in place. The Department had foreseen the likelihood that individual cases would from time to time arise which may relate to circumstances specific to the farms in question and which do not conform with the general trend as the incidence of the disease in the national herd recedes. There is, however, no basis for suspecting that these cases are indicative of either a systemic failure in controls or of a reversal of or deviation from the overall positive trend in relation to BSE in Ireland.

The shift in age profile in BSE cases as well as a reduction in case numbers indicates that the additional controls have been effective in significantly reducing the exposure of animals born after 1997 to the infectious agent. It is expected that the incidence of disease will continue to decline as cows born prior to 1998 leave the system. However, it is expected that because of the long incubation period that can be involved in some animals, cases will continue to be confirmed for many years yet.

Under current EU legislation and in line with trade rules of the World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE, member states now have the option of either compulsory whole herd depopulation or limiting depopulation to cohort animals — that is, cattle born in the herd at the same time or which shared feed from the same source in the early years of life as the index case — and progeny animals. It has been the practice, in recent years, for my Department to periodically review the policy of whole herd depopulation and, in that context, we are currently undertaking another such review.

The incidence of brucellosis has been falling progressively in recent years. For example, the number of laboratory positives has fallen from 6,417 in 1998 to 228 in 2005. The total number of animals slaughtered under the eradication programme fell from 29,778 to 2,375 during the same period. There has been a further improvement in the situation in 2005 compared with 2003 and 2004. The number of blood positives in 2005 was 228 compared with 664 in 2004 and 900 in 2003. The number of animals slaughtered fell from 14,841 and 6,195 respectively in 2003 and 2004 to 2,375 in 2005.

The substantial improvement in the disease situation is due to a number of factors, including continued co-operation from all parties with the eradication regime, the tightening up on illegal cattle movements through the cattle movement monitoring system, the regulation of dealers, prosecutions for breaches and the imposition of penalties for failures to comply with animal disease and identification regulations.

I am confident that this progress can be maintained into the future with the continued operation of the existing measures and the ongoing co-operation of farmers and all involved in the livestock industry. It is, however, vital that we continue to recognise that brucellosis is a highly contagious disease and that we do not relax or relent in our efforts to eradicate it from our national herd. In view of this, we need to continue in the medium-term with the existing comprehensive control and eradication measures, which have brought about positive results in recent years in terms of reduced incidence of the disease. I have no plans to introduce any policy changes to the programme.