The Opposition spokesman on Agriculture, Mr Billy Timmins, last night demanded full disclosure of the facts on a BSE-infected cow born after strict feed controls were thought to be foolproof.
The infected dairy cow was only six years old and came from a dairy herd in Co Meath, the Department of Agriculture disclosed last night.
It said confirmation of isolated cases in animals born after the introduction of enhanced animal feed controls and the ban on the use of Specified Risk Materials in 1996/1997, was "not unexpected".
"A detailed epidemiological investigation into the possible origins of this particular case has already commenced," the statement from the Department continued.
"However, the confirmation of this case, which is only the second 1998 born case identified in Ireland, does not signify any change in the extremely positive underlying trend in relation to BSE in Ireland," it added.
"Last year saw a dramatic reduction (45 per cent) in the number of cases, with 185 cases, compared to 333 in the previous year. In addition, the age profile of positive cases is continuing to increase, with all of the other cases identified this week having been born before 1996," it said.
"The Department has indicated that this combination of reducing case numbers and increasing age profile is a positive indication that the enhanced controls introduced in 1996 and 1997 have had a dramatic effect on the exposure of animals to infectivity and that BSE numbers will continue to fall as older animals leave the system," it concluded.
However, Mr Timmins last night expressed "disappointment" at the news of the case of BSE.
"In the past we have never got convincing evidence of what happened and why young animals were exposed to contaminated food. I will be pursuing the Minister to ensure we get the information this time," he said.
Yesterday, the Department said it would continue to monitor reports of researchers in Britain who reported they had found a new type of scrapie in a four-year-old sheep in the UK.
They said the case had shown some characteristics similar to experimental BSE in sheep. But an analysis of brain material showed the case did not resemble experimental BSE in sheep.
A meeting of experts who performed the analyses concluded it could not be considered to be BSE in sheep, although it did not behave like known types of scrapie. Further tests are to be carried out on the sample. The Department in Dublin has noted media reports relating to research work in Britain in relation to whether or not sheep may be susceptible to BSE.
Such reports confirm the Department's understanding that the relevant research work is ongoing and that none of the work done to date could be held up as indicating that sheep in the normal environment (i.e. in non-laboratory conditions) have become infected with BSE.