The Food Standards Agency (FSA) provided details of the slips in its monthly BSE control report for the month, published yesterday.

The regulator said its report had been delayed to allow investigators more time to gather information from a larger number of affected plants than usually expected.

EU regulations require slaughterhouses to remove the spinal chord (SRM) and other parts that would contain 99 per cent of any infection that would be present if the animal had BSE as soon as possible after slaughter. The material should then be stained and then disposed of safely.

The FSA said its Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) reported on 9 February 2007 it had found SRM in a section fresh beef despatched from the Republic of Ireland to an approved cutting plant in England.

The incident that took place last November and involved a slaughterhouse in the Republic of Ireland, AIBP (Clones).

The affected meat was part of a consignment of 220 beef quarters received by ABP Shrewsbury, which had no responsibility for the breach.

The remainder of the consignment was checked and found to be clear of SRM. The affected forequarter was condemned.

Between 14 December 2006 and 13 February 2007, 21 separate incidents of SRM were found in bovine heads originating from eight separate plants in the Republic of Ireland, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland (DARD).

The bovine heads were all discovered at Eurostock Foods Newry, a licensed cutting plant based in Northern Ireland. Again the receiving plant held no responsibility as the SRM should have been removed after slaughter, prior to dispatch.

The affected heads were condemned and none of the material progressed through the supply chain.

The FSA said the Department of Agriculture and Food in the Republic of Ireland has been informed of these incidents.

The report said there were no domestic breaches report involving UK slaugherhouses.