Paul Kehoe
Question:184 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of scrapie cases there have been in the past two years in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4955/03]
Written Answers. - Animal Diseases.
A total of 103 scrapie cases have been confirmed between February 2001 and February 2003.
|
Wexford |
44 |
Laois |
3 |
|
Carlow |
14 |
Roscommon |
2 |
|
Wicklow |
9 |
Offaly |
3 |
|
Kilkenny |
7 |
Cork |
1 |
|
Westmeath |
2 |
Galway |
2 |
|
Tipperary |
5 |
Clare |
1 |
|
Kildare |
5 |
Longford |
1 |
|
Waterford |
3 |
Cavan |
1 |
All of these flocks were depopulated under my Department's scrapie depopulation scheme. In addition, 21 flocks diagnosed with scrapie between 1 January 1999 and 1 February 2001 have been depopulated. The depopulation policy was introduced in the absence of any horizontal rules in relation to the eradication of the disease at EU level and against the background of the increased profile of scrapie as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. This is the same family of diseases as BSE, therefore there is a theoretical possibility of BSE in sheep. However, a recently published commission regulation provides for horizontal rules for dealing with scrapie-positive flocks from 1 October 2003. These rules include a number of options, including full or partial depopulation, and my Department is currently reviewing the existing regime in the light of these rules.
Paul Kehoe
Question:185 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of BSE cases there have been in the past five years in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4956/03]
Following is a breakdown of the number of BSE cases in each county over the past five years. The BSE control and eradication measures in Ireland are among the most comprehensive in the world. The value of these measures can now be seen in the positive underlying trend in relation to BSE. In the 29 weeks from 30 July 2002 to 13 February 2003, the number of BSE cases identified, at 161, was 33% less than the number confirmed in the corresponding period of 2001 and 2002, which was 240. In addition, the age profile of cases detected continues to increase. In 2002 some 2% of cases were identified in animals less than six years old at the time of diagnosis, compared with 16% in 2001 and 40% in 2000. The increasing age profile of animals in which the disease is confirmed and the declining numbers is a positive indication that the enhanced controls introduced in 1996 and 1997 are having the desired effect and that the incidence of BSE will continue to decline as older animals leave the system.
BSE cases per county in the past five years
|
County |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
Totals |
|
Carlow |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
11 |
|
Cavan |
14 |
16 |
15 |
39 |
37 |
3 |
124 |
|
Clare |
5 |
7 |
7 |
11 |
11 |
1 |
42 |
|
Cork N |
5 |
3 |
9 |
11 |
25 |
4 |
57 |
|
Cork S |
4 |
6 |
12 |
20 |
33 |
3 |
78 |
|
Donegal |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
15 |
|
Dublin |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
Galway |
6 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
14 |
2 |
36 |
|
Kerry |
0 |
4 |
1 |
13 |
19 |
2 |
39 |
|
Kildare |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Kilkenny |
4 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
13 |
1 |
33 |
|
Laois |
0 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
21 |
|
Leitrim |
0 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
18 |
|
Limerick |
5 |
4 |
10 |
17 |
18 |
1 |
55 |
|
Longford |
1 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
15 |
|
Louth |
1 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
1 |
17 |
|
Mayo |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
9 |
1 |
18 |
|
Meath |
4 |
8 |
13 |
8 |
22 |
8 |
63 |
|
Monaghan |
9 |
11 |
18 |
24 |
26 |
2 |
90 |
|
Offaly |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
11 |
|
Roscommon |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
10 |
1 |
15 |
|
Sligo |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
13 |
|
Tipperary N |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
|
Tipperary S |
2 |
1 |
4 |
10 |
11 |
0 |
28 |
|
Waterford |
3 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
0 |
19 |
|
Westmeath |
0 |
2 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
0 |
23 |
|
Wexford |
7 |
11 |
8 |
8 |
16 |
3 |
53 |
|
Wicklow |
2 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
17 |
|
Totals |
79 |
91 |
145 |
242 |
329 |
39 |
925 |
Note: in addition, four other cases were identified in cohort animals in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.