It is expected that Government officials in DAERA will now pursue an application for NI to be awarded negligible-risk (NR) status for BSE with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in May 2017.

That comes after responses were received and analysed from the DAERA 12-week consultation on the issue which closed earlier this summer.

Despite pressure from industry for a shorter consultation period, so that a case could have been made to the OIE in May 2016 (at the annual general session), that tighter deadline was not deemed possible.

But in the end only a handful of consultation responses were received, the most substantive of which came from the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and the NI Meat Exporters’ Association (NIMEA).

Both organisations point out that negligible-risk status could be a catalyst for further progress in key target markets such as China, South Korea and Japan. It would also give industry the opportunity to engage with existing customers in countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore which limit beef cuts to cattle under 30 months (based on historical concerns related to BSE).

The overall potential boost to trade is estimated at £12m per year.

Cautious

Despite industry highlighting that negligible-risk status would represent a significant vote of confidence for NI beef, DAERA officials remain cautious.

In particular, officials highlight the negative publicity that would arise if NI lost this status at some point in the future due to a new case of BSE, which could result in costly product recalls, and potentially the loss of some export markets.

That exact scenario played out in the Republic of Ireland in June 2015 when a BSE case was confirmed on a Co Louth farm. However, the South had only just received negligible risk status from the OIE, so the impact on existing markets was minimal.

Responding to this concern, NIMEA said it accepts there is a risk, but that the option is to wait on the UK, which cannot apply until 2020. There is then the possibility that the UK finds a new case in the intervening period which further extends this date.

Rendering

The other main point of concern raised by DAERA officials relates to the lack of rendering capacity in NI once negligible-risk status is attained. At present there are two rendering facilities in NI approved to process category one animal by-products (Linergy and Foyle Proteins). But once a new status is attained, the amount of material classed as category one is much reduced.

Estimates suggest that up to 16.8kg per head of intestines and 13.4kg per head of intestinal fat could then go into the food chain, leaving just parts of the skull and spinal cord to be rendered. Savings are estimated at £1.2m per year.

However, these reduced volumes have led to doubts whether both rendering facilities could continue to operate, potentially leading to a monopoly situation and higher costs for waste disposal and fallen stock. DAERA is also concerned that there would then be reduced capacity in the event of an outbreak of an epizootic disease such as foot and mouth disease.

In its response, NIMEA points out that NI does not currently have the capacity to effectively render all carcases as it is, and that other methods would need to be employed during a disease outbreak.

“It would be unreasonable to expect the beef industry to accept the status quo and a burden of unnecessary controls to ensure that the rendering sector is maintained for the benefit of other (livestock) sectors,” states the processor representative organisation.

  • To qualify for negligible-risk status, the last confirmed case of BSE must be an animal born at least 11 years before the date of application.
  • Scotland and NI are both eligible to apply, with the Scots currently consulting with their industry. Both are expected to make a case for negligible-risk status to the OIE in May 2017.
  • Under current rules, England and Wales are not eligible to apply until 2020. Ireland isn’t eligible to apply until 2021.
  • At the May 2016 OIE congress, a further six countries received negligible-risk status for BSE. It leaves only eight with the higher-level controlled-risk status, including Ireland, France, Poland and the UK.