Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the country is free of bovine spongiform encephalopathy-contaminated product being held in storage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38865/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department ’s systems for the control and eradication of BSE are robust and effective. This has been recognised by the World Animal Health Organisation and is demonstrable from the dramatic reduction in incidence since the disease’s peak in 2003. In the very rare circumstances in which an animal may be infected with BSE, my Department has an arrangement with an approved plant in Northern Ireland to incinerate the relevant carcases.

My Department's epidemiological investigation of an isolated case of BSE in 2015 confirmed inter alia that no concerns arise regarding the integrity of the commercial feed supply chain or the effectiveness of the feed control systems. In the 2009 and 2010 period, more than 3,800 feed inspections took place, and almost 2,500 feed samples, including 52 from suppliers to the farm on which the positive case was found, were tested for the presence of processed animal proteins. All tested negative for meat and bone meal.