asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will introduce controls on the movement of calves from disease infected areas to clear areas to prevent the spread of bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Movement of Calves.
27.
Existing controls already provide a high degree of protection and my veterinary advice is that the possibility of infection being spread through these calf movements is minimal.
It boils down to a question of balancing this minimal disease risk against the inevitable disruption of long-established trading patterns and the costs involved for both the farmer and the State which the introduction and imposition of additional controls would entail, controls, incidentally, which would be most difficult to administer and for which 100 per cent effectiveness could not be guaranteed.
The matter will be reviewed from time to time in the light of developments and progress under the eradication programme.
Why are the Department going to a lot of expense in publicity campaigns and visiting farms and imposing all sorts of measures to prevent the spreading of disease and yet they will not take this simple precaution to ensure that infected livestock will not be allowed into disease-free areas?
It would be impossible to enforce it.
The Minister has told us that veterinary advice is that there is not a serious risk, but has the Minister asked the Animal Health Council, or is his advice purely internal?
I have not got the information but I will inquire about it. I will ask the Animal Health Council.
I advise him to do so.
The Minister mentioned a high degree of inspection. Could he spell it out more clearly?
I said that the effectiveness could not be guaranteed of the imposition of additional controls.
Does the Minister accept that there were as many controls 10 years ago as there are now in regard to the movement of cattle in the Munster and Leinster regions?
We are talking about calves.