The SDLP Agriculture Minister has denied allegations of "spinning" figures for the rate of BSE in Northern cattle.
Answering questions about her announcement last Friday that 54 BSE cases had been detected out of 2,500 older cattle tested, Ms Brid Rodgers told the Assembly yesterday that as all the animals tested were more than 30 months old, none of them could have entered the food chain.
Mr Ian Paisley jnr, of the DUP, accused the Minister of trying to place the figures in an unduly positive light. He asked if she could offer any alternative strategy to pull the agricultural sector out of its current "mess".
"No matter what spin she cares to put on this statement, the fact of the matter is that it is a blow to any policy to have an introduction of low BSE status and having the beef export ban lifted," he said.
The Minister said that Mr Paisley's comments could needlessly heighten public fears about the state of the beef sector. "I have not been spinning. I think it would be a dangerous message to go out of this house and I'm sorry that the member used the word `spin'," she said.
Ms Rodgers said the new BSE cases made for disappointing news but insisted they represented only a temporary setback. "I intend to continue with my efforts and my Department's efforts to improve the quality of beef and to make sure that when the markets are reopened we are in a strong position to exploit those markets," she said.
Ms Rodgers said the new test had been carried out on high-risk animals over 30 months old to support Northern Ireland's case for low-incidence BSE status. But she conceded the figures had revealed that BSE was more prevalent in older cattle than was previously believed.
She pointed out that none of the animals tested when under four years old - a third of the total - had BSE.
With other EU member-states still to provide results from tests of their animals, Ms Rodgers said that Northern Ireland had no figures with which to compare its BSE rates.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Finance announced an additional £18 million to reduce deficits run up by the trusts that provide health services in the North.
Mr Mark Durkan made the announcement while outlining how the remaining £28 million of £68 million in Executive savings identified in December would be spent.
Mr Durkan said he was allocating £5 million to cut the regional rate rise for shopkeepers and businesses from 6.6 per cent to 3.3 per cent and confirmed that the Executive had also decided to reduce the much-criticised increase in domestic rates from 8 to 7 per cent.
The underwriting of a free transport for the elderly scheme would cost £3million.
Mr Durkan said he was able to cut the increase in domestic regional rates because of the strong continued growth in the valuations of domestic property.
Mr Francie Molloy of Sinn Fein, chairman of the Finance and Personnel Committee, pointed out that householders would actually pay more due to the increase in their houses' rateable values.
Mr Sammy Wilson of the DUP described the cut as "an act of repentance by the Finance Minister" and asked whether Mr Durkan could cut the increase in the domestic rate to the level of inflation, 3.3 per cent.