Vol. 483 No. 3
160 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of cases of BSE his Department anticipates will occur in 1998 based on the epidemiological data in relation to the occurrence of BSE in Ireland and the international experience of the control of BSE in other countries; and the cost of dealing with these. [20385/97]
Detailed statistical and epidemiological analysis of the cases of BSE which occurred this year is still being carried out by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Statistics in University College Dublin. However, given the very low incidence of the disease here, it is difficult to make reliable forecasts on likely trends. Nevertheless, the reduction in cases in four year old animals this year compared to 1996 together with the fall-off in cases which now appears to be occurring in the second half of the year compared with the equivalent period for 1996, suggests that there will be a substantial reduction in BSE cases in Ireland next year. The 1998 estimates have allocated £10 million towards the control and prevention of BSE next year.
