Department of Agriculture inspectors have seized animals at a Leinster meat plant they suspect were smuggled from the North. The seizure follows another in Co Tipperary 10 days ago when the inspectors found the smugglers had inserted silicone into holes left when the animals' eartags were removed.
The latest seizure took place at the Kildare Chilling Plant in Co Kildare when 12 cows were presented for sale by a man who gave a name and a Co Monaghan address.
On examining the animals, Department staff suspected the tags on the animals had been interfered with and began an immediate investigation. The cows, which had not been treated with silicone, were taken away for further investigation, and gardai were informed.
A Department of Agriculture spokesman said yesterday there appeared to be a growing attempt by smugglers to bring animals South to beat the ban on the export of all beef and cattle from the North and Britain.
The export ban was imposed in 1996 as a result of the BSE crisis when the British government admitted a possible link between eating infected beef and new variant CJD, a similar disease found in humans.
"We are putting extra resources into ensuring these moves will be defeated because we have a duty to our customers to ensure that animals from the North do not enter the food chain here."
Since 1996 authorities in the Republic have seized nearly 1,500 animals from the North.