asked the Minister for Agriculture if he has recently received a report from the Animal Health Council containing 26 recommendations on the improvement of disease eradication schemes; if he will give details of the recommendations; and the action he purposes to take in each case.
Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Animal Disease Eradication Schemes .
22.
: I have received the report referred to by the Deputy and, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate a copy with the Official Report. The council's recommendations cover a very wide field of activity and decisions have not yet been taken on all the points raised. Some of the recommendations have already been implemented and others are in course of implementation.
The following is the text of the council's report:
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE ERADICATION
ACCELERATED ERADICATION PROPOSALS
Recommendations and Comments
1. Additional laboratory facilities should be made available with more attention being given to N.V.L. reactors.
2. Validity of cards should not, in principle, exceed 12 months.
3. Notification of adjoining herdowners of the presence of a reactor herd should be done through the District Veterinary Office using any methods that are feasible.
4. The present system of notifying a reactor herdowner—of his obligation to disinfect his premises—by leaflet should be augmented by visits to each premises by District Veterinary Office personnel to explain the implications and procedure personally.
5. A mobile task force should be available to augment advisory visits to herdowners' premises, to ensure that disinfection is carried out adequately and to assist with intensive testing of designated black spots.
6. Additional movement restrictions (e.g. the 30 day Brucellosis pre-movement test) should be introduced as early as possible to avoid introduction half-way through the round as would happen if it is delayed until official sanction of the EEC Acceleration Plan is received.
7. To provide an adequate identification system both the tattoo (of herd number) and tag (of individual animal number) should be used simultaneously and introduced immediately. Tattooing, to be effective, should be required for all animals (not just newly tagged cattle) and the onus should be on the herdowner to present his cattle adequately tattooed.
8. Channels of communication between the District Veterinary Office and the Garda Authority should be established to control the activities of those contravening the Disease Eradication Scheme regulations.
For this purpose also a professional investigation section should be set up.
9. All dealers' premises should be licensed and subjected to official supervision. They should also be obliged to maintain accurate records which should be available to inspection on demand.
10. Any increase in compensation which would be available through participation in the Accelerated Eradication Scheme should be applied to all reactors taken out during the current round rather than applying it to reactors taken out from the date of EEC sanction of the Acceleration plan.
11. Part of the increased finance available should be used to increase the rate of compensation for those categories of reactors which are not adequately catered for under the present system.
12. In the case of Brucellosis the EEC funds should be applied to the whole country rather than being restricted to those countries comprising the Eradication Area.
The following recommendations refer to the Pre-Intensive Area
The Council members felt that introduction of compulsory eradication measures county by county, alone, is not sufficient. While supporting introduction of compulsory measures where feasible it is felt that it is important to take action to reduce Brucellosis over the entire Pre-Intensive area. To this end the Council would recommend adoption of the following recommendations:
13. If possible herds in the PI area whose disease-free status is known should be allowed participate in the compulsory scheme and attain officially free status as rapidly as possible.
14. Brucellosis should be made a notifiable disease.
15. Compulsory Eradication Measures should be introduced as quickly as possible in Kerry.
16. Positive-milk-ring-test herds should be required to have compulsory individual animal tests.
17. MRT Bulk Tests should be carried out more frequently—if possible, four times over the 8 month lactation period.
18. All animals disclosed as reactors should be identified permanently as such by ear punching.
19. Sales of eligible animals, other than those which have passed a 30 day Brucellosis test should be prohibited from 1 January 1978.
20. Herds not covered by milk-ring test (succler and mixed herds) should be subjected to test. (Prohibition of sale of untested animals will facilitate introduction of this recommendation.)
21. Dairy Co-ops should be encouraged to introduce milk price differentials in line with this programme.
22. Vaccination of all negative females in positive herds is recommended.
23. There should be emphasis on the need to improve farm management in terms of disease prevention. The importance of isolation of animals at calving should receive special promotion.
24. It is desirable that flexible targets for the future development of compulsory eradication in the pre-intensive area should be announced, stressing the fact that State assistance, in the form of compensation, will eventually be withdrawn if eradication is not achieved within the period of time specified.
25. Funds should be allocated for extensive promotion of the Pre-Intensive Scheme.
26. It is essential that any extra staff necessary to implement the acceleration programme should be provided without delay.
March 1978.
23.
asked the Minister for Agriculture how the EEC aid for accelerated animal disease eradication will be used in Ireland; the diseases to be covered; the amount and commencement date of the payments; if, when, and the amount in which, such aid will be available to other EEC member states.
: EEC aid received under the terms of the relevant Council directives must be used to secure a significant shortening of the period of time necessary for successfully completing eradication plans as compared with the time taken by programmes hitherto in operation. Plans to accelerate the eradication of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis have been forwarded to the EEC Commission and the Commission's decision on these plans is expected shortly. The Community aid would apply to cattle slaughtered during a three-year period from a commencement date which will be written into the Commission's decision. The first payments to this country will not take place until sometime in 1979. The amount payable to the member state is 60 units of account per cow and 30 units of account per bovine animal other than cows slaughtered under approved plans.
Aid is available on similar terms to other EEC member states whose plans to accelerate the eradication of bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis and leukosis are approved by the EEC Commission.