More dead, untagged calves have been found in the joint Garda/Department of Agriculture investigation into cattle smuggling from Northern Ireland, which is currently concentrated on Co Tipperary.
Teams which visited two farms near Thurles and Roscrea in the north of the county on Wednesday found 11 animals between five and seven months which were untagged or had no identification.
Yesterday, Department officials found nine dead calves, aged between two and five months, on waste ground near Templemore. The dead animals had no tags.
The authorities believe these animals were dumped by a farmer who had purchased them from smugglers.
Young calves have very little value in Northern Ireland and can be purchased there for as little as £5. Unscrupulous dealers sell them to farmers in the Republic for more than 10 times that amount.
While the authorities here believe none of these animals was smuggled into the State since February 21st, when foot-and-mouth disease was identified in Britain, major resources have been thrown into the investigation to confirm this.
On Wednesday the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Mr Walsh, announced that prosecutions would be taken against a number of people in the area.
He said files were being prepared for the DPP and there would be "no hiding place" for those who flouted the law on smuggling or illegal movements.
In reply to questions from journalists, the Minister said meat factories which had breached the regulations or had been found to have been involved in illegal activity would also face the full rigour of the law.
He said regulations enacted in the wake of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Proleek allowed for fines of up to £100,000 and prison sentences of up to five years and seizure of farms and factory premises.
As the Department continued assessing the discrepancies between the number of ewes culled on the Cooley peninsula and the number of ewes farmers have been drawing premiums on, Fine Gael put forward its plan for agricultural recovery in the area.
It has proposed that special priority be given to cattle from the Cooley area and from Louth generally for disposal through the purchase-for-destruction scheme between now and the end of June, when the scheme ends.
It proposed that the Greenore export lairage should be designated as an assembly point for livestock from the Cooley area for movement to factories for processing.
The party has also said farmers who have been restricted for a substantial period should not be required to pay for any necessary tests, and all outstanding premiums and top-up payments should now be paid to farmers in Co Louth as a priority.
The party also wants farm incomes there to be kept under review with a view to deciding on the contribution from the special assistance scheme.
Fine Gael said it should now be made clear that compensation payments were outside the scope of the tax net.