I understand that the Minister for Agriculture desires to make a statement, by permission of the House. I presume that permission is granted.
Agreed.
Private Deputies' Business. - Foot and Mouth Disease—Statement by Minister.
I regret to say that the outbreaks of foot and mouth disease continue to be very serious, notwithstanding the fact that every effort has been made to deal with them promptly. I think I can truthfully say that never before has an outbreak been dealt with with such rapidity, that is in the disposal of the infected animals and the in-contact animals. In this connection, the Army authorities are giving very valuable assistance. The new outbreaks, fortunately, are confined to the counties already affected, Offaly, Leix, Dublin, Meath and Kildare.
And Tipperary.
Yes; across the border into Tipperary and across the border into Wicklow. But the manner in which the new outbreaks have occurred within those areas is, to say the least of it, very alarming. Close investigations established the fact that in almost every case the spread of the disease is due to personal contacts. In some cases there is, it is true, contact between the animals and infected animals, but in the great majority of cases it is carried by humans, the owners of stock or their servants or visitors.
I have already made a very strong appeal to everybody concerned to avoid all contact with infected animals. I now wish to repeat that appeal with all the emphasis at my command. Unfortunately, people do not seem to realise the very serious consequences of carelessness in this connection, and there has been gross carelessness in the matter of taking precautions to avoid all contact with diseased animals. Unless the greatest possible care is taken, there is a grave danger that the disease may become widespread, and, following that, become endemic. Deputies will realise, without my emphasising it, the catastrophic loss that would mean to our flocks. Within the past week, three cases have come under my notice where there was no doubt that concealment was attempted. The stock owners concerned had tried to cloak the existence of the disease. In fact, in two of those cases the veterinary surgeon had called to examine the flocks, and certain of the infected animals were concealed when he called. In those cases appropriate legal action will, of course, be taken, and, as I mentioned here before, I would like stock owners to realise that I have power to withhold compensation where concealment is attempted. There is no justification whatever for this attempt at concealment. Over and over again, I have stated here, and outside too, that ample and generous compensation is paid where a case is notified, and it is foolish—very foolish really—for any stock owner to attempt to conceal it, because he cannot conceal it for very long.
There are certain burdensome regulations and restrictions that are necessary in order to prevent the spread of the disease and eliminate it from the herds of the country, but I regret to say that the Department's staff, who are limited in number, and the Gárda Síochána, who are also limited in number, are not getting the co-operation that they should get from stock owners and agriculturists generally. I appeal strongly to every person to give full co-operation in the stamping out of this disease. I would like people to go so far as even to report breaches of the regulations, and especially, I think, that people as a duty should report if they are suspicious of any stock owner concealing the disease. We learned of some of these cases by what you might call a hint, and, acting on the hint, we found two of the cases I have mentioned. I think people who have suspicions should be more prompt and more specific in reporting them, so that we can get after them with the greatest possible speed.
The staff of my Department and the staff of the Gárda Síochána are doing everything possible, but they will not be in a position to stamp out this disease unless they get the co-operation of everybody concerned. I do not say that Deputies are unreasonable in any way with regard to the restrictions, but I will ask them to try to reason with people who may come to them if the restrictions appear to be unduly burdensome or to create great hardship, and to make those people realise that we are dealing with a very desperate situation, and that we must be very strict in these regulations. If there is delay in the issuing of permits, or if permits are refused, I hope the situation will be understood.
Finally, all I have to say is that the outbreak has become so grave and so widespread that I am afraid we cannot cope with it or eliminate it unless we get the very fullest co-operation from everybody concerned.
We all agree how vital it is to secure co-operation. Has the Minister brought home sufficiently to stock owners and their neighbours that if a man allow his beast to die he gets no compensation at all——
That is right.
—whereas, if he or his neighbour—if the stock owner himself is too stupid—would inform the Government in time, even though all his stock have to be slaughtered, he will not only get compensation, but he will get the full market value for them?
Yes.
Has it been brought home to the neighbour who may be reluctant to warn the Government of the stock owner's failure to notify, that, far from injuring the stock owner, he is doing the stock owner a real service because he is protecting him from the possible consequences of his own folly? Might I suggest, as an observer, that that fact has not been sufficiently emphasised and that there may be a feeling amongst people that they do not want to be informing on their neighbours? In this case to inform on our neighbour is to save our neighbour from a disaster that his own folly might bring upon himself.
I quite agree with the Deputy. We have tried to make that clear, both by public announcement over the radio, by Press advertising, and so on. But it is possible we may have to emphasise it more and more, and I certainly shall do that.
Has the Minister's attention been drawn to the fact that a large number of sheep that graze on the Curragh at this time habitually wander over a large area in search of grass and there is a grave danger that they may wander on to affected farms and so spread the disease? Will the Minister take the necessary precautions so as to ensure that they will not wander from the Curragh?
I shall.
This disease is coming very dangerously near me and I should like the Minister to indicate in what type of herd was the concealment attempted? Were they dairy cows?
In one case, yes.
In Dublin?
Yes.
Is that not a signal to the Minister that the market value of cows to Dublin dairymen is not sufficient compensation and that the real loss is the loss of their trade?
The Dáil adjourned at 7.5 p.m. until Wednesday, 2nd April, at 3 p.m.