Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 457: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the situation regarding the urgent need to have the age limit raised for BSE tests on animals from 30 to 36 months; if the EU can justify the present age limit in view of Ireland's present health status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4031/07]

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 (The TSE Regulation). Accordingly I do not have the discretion to raise this age threshold as I would wish to do in view of the major progress achieved here in relation to BSE.

I have been making repeated efforts to have the age thresholds for the various categories of animals changed, based on the results of surveillance carried out here. Under the recently amended TSE regulation there is provision for a revision to Member States' monitoring programmes (including changes to the age at which healthy slaughtered animals for human consumption must be tested for BSE) on the basis of applications by Member States in response to their improved BSE situation. Such applications will have to be assessed according to criteria for evaluating the improvement of the epidemiological situation that has yet to be laid down. The matter is currently under discussion at TSE working group level in Brussels and will take some time to finalise.

Any request for such changes would require to be approved by the European Commission and the other Member States within the framework of the Standing Committee on Animal Health and the Food Chain. I will, of course continue to press for a change in the age threshold at every opportunity.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 458: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has plans to remove the 30 day restriction on the brucellosis test in view of the fact that Ireland is virtually clear of the disease; if she cannot fully remove the 30 day rule, if it could be at least extended to 3 months thus relieving additional costs and in many cases serious inconvenience for part time farmers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4032/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The 30-day pre-movement test was introduced in 1998 to curtail the spread of Brucellosis following an upsurge in the disease. The veterinary advice at the time, which continues to apply, was that the movement/buying-in of cattle was deemed to be a major contributory factor in the spread of the disease and the 30 day test has contributed significantly to the effort in reducing the incidence of the disease, particularly in that it reduces the movement of brucellosis susceptible animals. A range of other measures was also introduced at the time. These included the early removal of reactors, the rapid depopulation of herds, the taking of blood samples from cows at slaughter plants, the Milk Ring Test (MRT) (subsequently replaced by the Milk ELISA Test), and the lime treatment of slurry on infected farms on all Brucellosis depopulated farms.

The impact of these measures has been very positive and very substantial progress has been made since 1998 in reducing disease levels. The 2006 figures show only 3 herds were depopulated compared with 27 in 2005 and 68 in 2004. Accordingly, we cannot become complacent about this highly contagious disease and all elements of the programme must be retained in their present form for the time being. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing the progress made in recent years. I am however keeping the various control measures under review.