Vol. 525 No. 3
188 Mr. Moloney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if the policy, actions and procedures taken by his Department to control BSE are in accordance with best practices as recommended by the International OIE body; when the report of the Irish BSE Scientific Advisory Committee was published; the actions taken following its publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25197/00]
Ireland has always complied with, and in some respects exceeds OIE requirements in relation to BSE. The OIE lays down criteria for the categorisation of countries for BSE purposes and the trading rules applicable to cattle, beef and bovine products. These criteria include minimum control measures to be adopted in order to be included in particular categories. On the basis of its incidence of BSE and the control measures it has adopted, Ireland is categorised by the OIE as a country or zone with a low incidence of BSE.
The report of the Irish BSE scientific advisory committee was finalised during 1999 and published in February last. Since then a considerable amount of work has been undertaken to implement its recommendations, including those in relation to the further development of a control and recording system of all cattle movements, the presentation of an education programme on the clinical presentation of BSE and related conditions, the training of an epidemiologist, the reinforcement of the requirement for rigorous ante mortem examination of animals at meat plants and abattoirs, and the development of a system for monitoring and controlling the disposal of fallen animals, which will be finalised in the near future.
