Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 497: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if progress is being made to extend the age of animals that have to be tested for BSE; her views on whether the present regime is no longer necessary in view of the drop in BSE numbers and the fact that no animal under 36 months was ever found with same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38710/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The requirement that all bovine animals over 30 months of age, slaughtered for human consumption, must be tested for BSE is provided for in Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council, laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Under the Regulation, as it currently stands, I have no discretion to raise the age limit at which bovines destined for human consumption must be tested.

Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 is currently in the process of being revised, though it is not now anticipated that the proposed amendments will become law before the end of next month. The amendments, as currently drafted, would enable Member States to seek the approval of the Commission and other Member States for revisions to their annual monitoring programmes to change the age limit for testing for BSE in healthy animals slaughtered for human consumption. Such applications would be on the basis of a range of criteria relating to the BSE situation and controls in the particular country. These criteria have yet to be determined and may yet take some time to finalise.

I, and my officials, have made repeated and consistent efforts to have the age thresholds for the various categories of animals changed, based on the results of surveillance carried out here and I will, of course, continue to press for a change in the age threshold at every opportunity.