Weekend shoppers were largely unfazed by the foot-and-mouth scare, according to butchers and the major supermarkets. Mr Pat Brady, chief executive of the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland, said some butchers were reporting a falloff in meat consumption but others were unaffected.
He attributed the fall-off to the proposed T-bone steak ban rather than foot-and-mouth.
Mr Eamonn Quinn, marketing director with Superquinn, said there was little change in product selection on the shelves at present. Some brands of rashers and sausages had been removed but other brands were available, he said.
"But what is more likely to happen this week is that we will find ourselves unable to get certain items of stock. Already, some cheeses are not available."
Supervalu withdrew some cooked hams, sausages, cheeses and chicken kievs, according to a spokeswoman, "low-volume products mostly from Northern Ireland". Tesco removed a limited range of products, said a spokeswoman, but there were some gaps, especially in the ready-meal areas, as British products awaited certification.
The foot-and-mouth scare has had little impact on Dunnes Stores stock. Some items such as pasta with bacon filling, two lines of yoghurts and some poultry with fillings, were removed, a spokeswoman said.
Marks and Spencer removed all chilled products and readymeals at the weekend. A spokeswoman said stocks were "slowly but surely returning to the shelves with the exception of raw pork, lamb and milk and dairy products [all UK-sourced]".