According to the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the animal in question was a ten-and-a-half-year-old cow, and the infection was discovered during a routine inspection. “The animal did not enter the food or feed chain, and there are no public health risks associated with this incident,” stated the DAFM.
The most recent case of ‘atypical BSE’ in Ireland was identified in 2020. Atypical BSE is not a condition requiring mandatory reporting.
Export volumes of Irish beef to China had not yet significantly increased following the recent resumption and remained relatively low. Beef shipments from Ireland to China had only resumed earlier this year, in January, after being suspended in May 2020 due to an isolated case of atypical BSE.
The market reopening in January was seen as a major opportunity for Ireland to rebuild its beef trade with China, which was worth nearly 40 million euros in 2019.