Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress to date on increasing the age limit for BSE testing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21525/07]

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when she will allow farmers to sell cattle over 30 months without having to go through a BSE test and pay for it; her views on the fact that factories use the 30 month system to downgrade the price of perfectly good cattle over the 30 month age thus creating a double loss to the farmer and in some cases, particularly in the autumn months, short term glut of cattle to the factory with even some of these cattle being of an unfinished nature; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21844/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 137 together.

The BSE testing requirements are provided for in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 (the TSE Regulation). The Regulation currently requires that all bovines over 30 months, slaughtered for human consumption, must be tested for BSE. In addition, Member States are required to test all casualty animals over 24 months sent for slaughter and all fallen stock over 24 months not slaughtered for human consumption. I have never had nor do I currently have any discretion to change the age limits at which animals must be tested for BSE.

Having the age limit for BSE testing increased has been a priority of mine since my appointment as Minister and I and my officials have pushed the case at every opportunity. I have long taken the view that, given the significant decline in the incidence of the disease across the European Union in recent years, not least in Ireland, and the control measures in place, an increase in the age limit is entirely justified.

I am pleased, therefore, that the EU Commission has recently tabled proposals that, if adopted, will result, in respect of healthy slaughtered animals, for the testing of 100 % of cattle aged over 42 months and born before 1 January 2002, and 50 %of cattle aged over 42 months and born after 1 January 2002. For emergency slaughtered cattle and fallen stock, the proposal is to test 100 per cent of emergency slaughtered cattle and fallen stock aged over 36 months. I consider that the Commission proposals represent a vindication of the arguments I have been making over the past few years and that they will yield significant and well-earned savings for Irish farmers. Work is continuing in Brussels to finalise the criteria against which the performance of any Member State will be measured in order to avail of the newly proposed testing arrangements. I am pressing to have this work concluded as quickly as possible.

Assuming the Commission proposals are adopted and the eligibility criteria finalised, I intend that Ireland will make an early application to have our surveillance programme revised. In view of the work that remains to be done and the time likely to be taken before an application is approved by the Commission and the other Member States, it seems unlikely that the existing age limits for BSE testing will be revised until sometime in 2008, though I and my officials will, of course, continue to press for the earliest possible resolution of the issue.