BSE carcase disposal out to tender

The Department of Agriculture has advertised for proposals to deal with the estimated 700 BSE positive carcases which are currently in cold storage in Horse and Jockey, Co Tipperary.

Tenders are also sought for the destruction and disposal of carcases from depopulated herds in which a BSE case is identified.

The tender documents state that 40,000 animals were slaughtered under the depopulation regime in 2002 and predicts the 2003 total to be around 28,000.

The tender documents caution that the whole herd slaughter policy is kept under review "and could be adjusted to a partial herd depopulation approach in the future''.

Meanwhile, the total amount of Meat and Bone meal (MBM) in storage in Ireland is 210,000 tonnes, Minister for Agriculture Joe Walsh told Billy Timmins of Fine Gael in the Dail recently. "Of this, my Department has responsibility for 172,000 tonnes which gives rise to an annual storage cost of €3.75 million. The balance, though stored under controlled conditions, is the responsibility of the private sector.''

In 2001, 2002 and to date in 2003 almost €146 million will have been spent by the Exchequer on the production, storage and disposal of MBM. The subsidy on MBM production ended on 31 May 2003.

In 2002, a total amount of 144,000 tonnes of meat and bonemeal was produced in Ireland, which works out at an average of 2,769 tonnes per week.

Joe Walsh said he has established an interdepartmental agency/ committee to examine the best available options for the use of MBM in industry and in non-feed uses here.

"I expect to have the report from that committee submitted to me in the near future.''

Farmers should not pay BSE VAT

The ICSA has called for farmers not registered for VAT to be exempt from the €3.52 VAT charged on BSE testing. Beef Chairman Joe Kilmartin has written to Minister McCreevy as part of his pre-budget submission.

"12% of beef slaughtered here in 2003 was tested for BSE costing farmers €600,000 in VAT,'' Kilmartin said, adding that making farmers exempt from this charge would bring the cost of BSE testing here more in line with the costs in Europe.

BSE tests cost over €16 plus €4 for VAT per animal here compared to €14 in France.