Vol. 527 No. 3
151 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the procedures followed when an animal is diagnosed with a disease such as tuberculosis, brucellosis or BSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28368/00]
Bovine animals which react positively to either a TB or brucellosis test must, by law, be removed to an approved export premises for slaughter. The EU Directive 64/433 which legislates for intra-Community trade in fresh meat, requires that all such animals are given a detailed veterinary examination and in this regard my Department maintains a permanent veterinary presence at all export slaughter premises. However, due to the high frequency of testing only some of these animals will have developed clinical disease and a proportion will in fact be false positives to the tuberculin test. Each of the reactors is subject to a full ante and post mortem inspection, the results of which determine eligibility for entry into the food chain.
Where animals are either suspected of being affected by, or have been confirmed as cases of BSE the suspect herds are visited by both a veterinary inspector from the local district veterinary office, and a veterinary research officer from the Veterinary Research Laboratory.
The suspect animal is euthanased, a sample of the brain tissue is sent for testing, the entire carcase of BSE suspect animals are frozen and retained by this Department, pending their ultimate destruction. The herd in question is immediately placed under official restriction and quarantined.
An inventory of the herd and an initial epidemiological investigation is carried out. The course of the disease is monitored for a short while, following which, where BSE is not ruled out, suspects are slaughtered and the brains taken to the central Veterinary Research Laboratory for examination using both standard histology and immunocyto chemistry.
152 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the measures in place to address bovine disease in the Border region, North and South; the joint approaches that are in place to eradicate bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis and BSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28369/00]
A range of measures to deal with the eradication of TB, brucellosis and BSE is in place on both sides of the Border. For many years there has been close liaison between the relevant Departments on animal health matters. In the context of the North-South Ministerial Council, it has been agreed that there would be merit in enhancing and putting this liaison on a more formal and structural footing. At the meeting of the council on 17 November last, agreement was reached on the structures to be put in place to implement this. Specifically, it was agreed to establish a strategic steering group to replace the existing arrangements, co-ordinate animal health policy on the island and make regular reports to the NSMC on co-operation on animal health matters together with recommendations for policy and-or operational decisions; to establish policy working groups which will consider policy issues on animal health which apply to the whole island. Initially, working groups will be created to explore eight different areas and the groups will be stood down or new ones formed, as required; to continue co-operation on operational aspects of schemes; and to progress further joint collaboration on animal health research and development.
The council also requested that the strategic steering group prepare an initial report on animal health on the island of Ireland for the North-South Ministerial Council meeting in its agricultural sectoral format with a view to development, by March 2002, of joint strategies for the improvement of animal health on both sides of the Border.
As a result of a decision taken by the European Community arising from the incidence of BSE in the United Kingdom, a total ban on the import of live animals from Great Britain and Northern Ireland was imposed on 1 March 1990.
