Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Mar 1998

Vol. 488 No. 4

Written Answers - BSE Control.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

107 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the percentage of the 386 beef carcases of the four County Donegal BSE herds slaughtered which were processed for human consumption; if the processed beef product was sold on the home or the export market; the percentage processed for animal consumption; the type of animal food produced; the percentage rendered into meat and bonemeal; where it was rendered and stored; and the way in which it was sold or disposed of. [6196/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

108 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the percentage of the 28 beef carcases of the County Sligo BSE herd slaughtered which were processed for human consumption; if the processed beef product was sold on the home or the export market; the percentage processed for animal consumption; the type of animal food produced; the percentage rendered into meat and bonemeal; where it was rendered and stored; and the way in which it was sold or disposed of. [6197/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

109 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the percentage of the ten beef carcases which were processed for human consumption from the County Leitrim BSE suckler herd and the 22 beef carcases of the County Roscommon BSE dairy herd slaughtered at Liffey Meats in 1992; if the processed beef product was sold on the home or the export market; the percentage processed for animal consumption; the type of animal food produced; the percentage rendered into meat and bonemeal; where it was rendered and stored; and where, and the way in which, it was sold or disposed of. [6198/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

110 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the name and address of the plant or facility in which herds, where cases of BSE have been confirmed, in counties Roscommon, Leitrim, Donegal and Sligo were slaughtered; the way in which and where the carcases were processed, sold or otherwise disposed. [6199/98]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 107, 108, 109 and 110 together.

Apart from the plants referred to in my reply to Question No. 178 of 17 December 1997 the following plants were also used for the slaughter of herds where BSE cases were confirmed in counties Roscommon, Leitrim, Donegal and Sligo: UMP Ballyhaunis; UMP Ballaghadereen; Western Meats, Dromond; Glynn Meats, Limerick.

My reply of 17 December also gave details of the dates of confirmation of BSE cases and the number of animals slaughtered in the herds involved, in the counties referred to by the Deputy.

The Deputy will be aware that meat from suspect or confirmed BSE animals has never been allowed into the human food or animal feed chains. Prior to March 1996, and in the light of the scientific knowledge then available, it was not considered necessary to exclude the product from the other animals in a herd where a BSE case was confirmed, from the human food or animal feed chains. However, from April 1996, all product from the entire herd in which a case of BSE is confirmed is taken out of both the human food and animal feed chains and is dealt with on the basis already covered in replies to various parliamentary questions to the Deputy.

Meat from animals slaughtered up to March 1996 would have been sold on the home market. I do not have details of the type of animal feed produced.