The Department of Agriculture is investigating an outbreak of the cattle brain disease BSE in a five-year-old dairy cow in Meath during the week.
It is the second case in a month of BSE in a five-year-old dairy cow in Meath.
These cases are of concern as they were identified so many years after stringent controls against the disease were introduced over a decade ago.
BSE was also identified in a 12-year-old cow in Cavan this week.
However, the number of outbreaks has been declining sharply, with 19 cases reported so far this year.
BSE has caused huge damage to the Irish beef industry over the past 15 years.
Irish beef exports were banned from many countries and a hugely expensive series of Government measures were put in place to deal with the disease.
The total number of confirmed cases in 2007 was 25.
This compares with 41 cases in 2006, with 69 in 2005, with 126 in 2004, 182 in 2003 and 333 in 2002.
