The increasing number of cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) occurring in the national cattle herd does not surprise the Department's veterinary experts, a spokesman said yesterday.
He was giving details of 10 new cases of the disease which were diagnosed this week. They bring this year's total to the highest on record. Last year's total of 149 has already been exceeded by 21.
"The fact that we are already running ahead of last year's total is not a surprise to our experts because of the age profile of the animals and the introduction of active surveillance earlier this year," said the spokesman.
"They have been predicting that the numbers will peak over the next year or so and begin to fall off in two years' time," he said.
Earlier this year at a briefing given by the Department, it was predicted that the number of infections in older animals exposed to contaminated meat and bone meal would rise, but there should be no more cases in younger animals which would not have been exposed to contaminated feed here since 1997.
That was when the Government ordered a segregation of food preparation at mills where it was found that contaminated meat and bone meal was making its way into cattle rations from pig and poultry rations where it was still being used widely.
The youngest infected animals found this week were five-year-old cows in Meath and Cork. Six of the animals were six years old and were found in Longford, Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo and two in Monaghan.
A seven-year-old cow was detected in Tipperary and an eight-year-old cow was found in a herd in Co Donegal.
Seven of the animals were found in active surveillance and three were reported by farmers and vets.