asked the Minister for Agriculture the investigation that has been carried out by his Department to determine the causes of serious outbreaks of sheep scab in County Galway.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sheep Scab.
1.
Outbreaks of sheep scab have, unfortunately, been a regular occurrence in County Galway. There were, to the knowledge of my Department, 13 in 1974, 16 in 1975 and to date at least 17 have been reported in the current season.
Investigations are a matter for the Galway County Council but because six of the 17 flocks reported to have been infected in the county, included rams supplied by my Department under the special term ram scheme for the congested districts these six cases were especially investigated by the Department in co-operation with the Galway County Council. The investigation failed to establish conclusively the original source of the infection in these six cases. The Department's investigations were also extended to cover the flocks to which 16 other rams were supplied by the Department under the scheme in County Galway but in these 16 cases no evidence of sheep scab was discovered.
The investigations involved the examination of all flocks concerned by veterinary inspectors and the submission of skin scrapings and wool samples to the regional veterinary laboratories for microscopic and other tests in any case in which suspicious symptoms were observed. All necessary steps have now been taken by Galway County Council, assisted by my Department's veterinary officers, to deal with the outbreaks by special dipping of the infected and in-contact animals.
The Minister knows that Galway County Council complied with the sheep dipping regulations to the last letter. What efforts are being made by the Department to establish whether the rams supplied through the Minister's Department are dipped? This is a crucial point. We in Galway believe that scab has been imported into Galway this year because every precaution was taken by Galway County Council to ensure that rams in the county were dipped properly.
In the course of my reply I indicated that in only six out of 17 cases were the rams supplied by the Department. There was scab in Galway already, not only this year but last year and the year before. It is quite possible that the rams supplied by the Department got scab in Galway. Apparently the veterinary people have not been able to establish for certain if this is so. It is quite open to suspicion. I was surprised to find out that the safeguard of dipping all rams before distribution was not done, because there is always a doubt as to whether it had been done previously. Dipping would put it beyond all doubt, so I have arranged for the years ahead that any rams supplied by the Department will be dipped. This has not been done in the past.
The Minister is admitting that this has not been done by the Department in the past. I welcome the fact that it will be done in the future. Is it not inconsistent for the Department to issue regulations that all sheep in every county should be dipped and still to distribute rams without ensuring that they were dipped? The Minister is only assuring us that from now on they will be dipped.
It is not the responsibility of the Department but of the county councils to see that all the sheep in their area are dipped. If anybody has fallen down on the job it is the county councils.
I am surprised that the Minister should make that statement. The Minister knows that the county councils did not fall down on their job.
Questions, please.
Why did the Minister issue an order this year to all county councils to ensure that dipping is carried out if it is none of his business? It is certainly the Minister's business.
I am simply saying that if county councils do not carry out their responsibility we will have to take the safeguard before distributing rams to any part of the country, of first dipping them before introducing them to any flock.
Is it not the Minister's business?
No.
Order, I am calling Deputy Michael Kitt.
Of course it is.
Order, Deputy Kitt has been called.
It is the Minister's job to see that flocks are free from scab.
Order, please. Let us have some order.
Mr. Kitt
Is the Minister aware, that approximately 25 sheep dipping instructors were employed by Galway County Council and that the Department's sheep dipping instructions were strictly enforced? Is the Minister aware that the feeling in County Galway is that the Department officials were negligent in letting infected Department rams into the county? Would the Minister in the cases to which the Minister has referred provide for compensation to those farmers?
We have paid all costs of dipping because of these outbreaks. More than that should not be expected, because Galway already had scab in 11 out of 17 cases not caused and with no possibility of it having been caused, by Department rams.
Question No. 2, please.
May I ask another question?
Please allow Question Time to continue.
It is an important matter.
I have given the Deputy a lot of latitude. Question No. 2, please.