THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority has cleared the way for a major reduction in the number of tests for BSE in cattle being slaughtered for human consumption.
Millions of animals older than 30 months are tested for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Some countries, including Ireland, want this increased to reduce the cost on farmers and governments because of a major drop in the number of cases being uncovered.
The food authority has published two opinions on BSE monitoring in 15 countries, including Ireland. It says about 10 million cattle are tested annually in those states, with the number of cases falling from 2,164 in 2001 to 149 in 2007.
Its biological hazards panel says if the age for testing was raised from 30 months to 36 months or 48, fewer than one BSE case would be missed annually in the 15 states. If the testing age rose to 60, 72 or 84 months, then fewer than two, four and six cases respectively could be expected to be missed.
The panel also said if the test level for at-risk groups of animals was increased from the current 24 to 30, 36, or 48 months, then fewer than one case could be expected to be missed.
Ireland, with Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, has sought a reduction in the level of testing from January next.
So far this year there have been only 12 confirmed cases, fewer than half of the 25 found last year.
Most of the cases in Ireland have been found in sick, dead or so- called "fallen" animals, while six cases were found in the 750,000 slaughtered cattle. This cost farmers here €15 million and the taxpayer €11 million.
There is no question of any change in the regulations that say that specified risk material, ie the organs in which the disease resides, is taken from animals going for consumption.