Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 May 2003

Vol. 567 No. 5

Written Answers. - Bovine Diseases.

Billy Timmins

Question:

195 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the precise Departmental definition of a cohort for the purposes of the BSE eradication programme; the numbers of cohorts of BSE-infected animals that have been slaughtered during 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14603/03]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The term "cohort" is defined in EU legislation as follows:

‘Cohort' means a group of bovine animals which were either born in the same herd as, and within 12 months preceding or following the birth of, the affected cattle or reared together with the affected animal at any time during the first year of their life and which may have consumed the same feed as that which the affected animal consumed during the first year of its life.

This definition includes animals within and outside the herd in which the BSE positive animal is confirmed. The term "herd cohort" is also commonly used for other animals within the index herd which do not fall within the above definition.

The number of animals slaughtered under the BSE eradication programme, including both birth/feed cohorts and herd cohorts, is as follows:

Year	Numbers
2000	16,276
2001	26,375
2002	41,245
2003 To date	14,377

BSE control and eradication measures are kept under constant review and are enhanced and refined to take account of ongoing operational experience, the current state of scientific knowledge and changing circumstances.