asked the Minister for Agriculture the number and type of animals currently held in isolation at Spike Island quarantine station, the total capacity of the station and if in the recent past, the station has been at or near capacity in respect of any category of animal.
Written Answers. - Spike Island Quarantine Station.
123.
There are no animals at present in the quarantine station on Spike Island, which can accommodate up to 160 cattle or 350 sheep or 300 pigs.
The last occasion on which the station was utilised to near capacity was in 1976 when 150 cattle were accommodated there. The extent to which the station is utilised depends, of course, on the demand for import facilities by livestock interests and the animal disease situations in the countries from which imports are proposed.