I will call on the Deputies who tabled the questions to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development in the order in which they submitted their questions to my office.
Private Notice Questions. - Foot and Mouth Disease.
asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if, in view of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain, he will state the steps he and his Department are taking to prevent the spread of the disease to Ireland, the controls and restrictions being imposed at airports and sea ports, if he intends to restrict the importation of livestock or meat from Britain, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he has plans in place to tackle any potential outbreak of foot and mouth disease here, if he has any further plans in place to prevent the spread of disease here and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Minister of State will reply to both questions.
I apologise for the absence of my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Deputy Walsh, who is engaged in business in the Seanad.
I am acutely aware of the potential danger to Irish agriculture posed by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Great Britain. This disease is highly contagious and I have taken the appropriate action to ensure that Irish herds are not affected. An outbreak here would have enormous economic consequences. This country has been free of the disease since 1941.
I placed a temporary ban on the importation from the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, of live animals, animal products, includ ing fresh meat, meat products, milk and milk products, semen, ova, hides and skins from the affected species, that is, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer. In this regard I have put staff from my Department at district veterinary offices, ports and airports and meat factories on alert for these products. In addition, I have alerted the Garda Commissioner and requested him to devote the appropriate resources to assist with my staff in preventing the importation of the banned products from Northern Ireland.
The situation is being kept under continuous review. My staff have been in constant contact, both with their colleagues in the UK and the European Commission, to ensure that they are appraised of the developments as soon as possible after they happen. In this regard I understand the European Commission will take a similar decision as taken by us later today at 5 p.m. The issue will be discussed at the meeting of the standing veterinary committee on 27 February.
I should point out that humans are only rarely infected by the handling of a diseased animal and that infection is only temporary and mild. It is vitally important that there is a full commitment by all concerned to keeping foot and mouth disease out of this country.
This requires strict compliance with the ban on imports from the United Kingdom and the full co-operation of all those involved in the farming and agri-food sectors in maintaining the highest degree of vigilance for as long as the current threat remains.
The position is serious. We have not been infected since 1941. The UK commissioners have been informed of the imposition of the ban and a press release informing the public of the measures to be taken will issue today. The position will be reviewed by the standing veterinary committee on 27 February 2001 and, if there is sufficient evidence, although that is by no means certain, Northern Ireland can be excluded from the scope of the ban.
I thank the Minister of State for his detailed reply. I appreciate that this is a highly infectious and contagious viral disease which may spread over great distances with the movement of infected or contaminated animals, products, objects and people. I agree with the Minister of State that, if it reaches our shores, it will represent another dreadful hammer blow to our beleaguered industry. It is spread by cloven footed animals, namely, pigs, cattle, sheep and goats. Those are the susceptible animals as well as the inanimate vectors such as machinery in contact with the exclusion zone.
Will the Minister of State ask the Food Safety Authority to issue a statement? While there are no major human health implications, will the Minister of State nonetheless ask it to outline its view on the matter to ensure people are not misled?
Have all members of the veterinary profession, apart from those in the Department, been noti fied to be on the lookout for the disease? Has the Minister of State contacted his counterpart in Northern Ireland, Bríd Rodgers, and her officials on the matter? It is my understanding that the whole island is disease free. Is that still the case? I am aware that the Minister of State hopes to be in a position on 27 February to clarify the Northern Ireland position. Nonetheless, has he been in contact with Ms Rodgers and her counterpart in Britain?
What is the position regarding the European Commission? Will there be a meeting of the relevant veterinary inspectors at EU level? If so, are they formulating any measures to help prevent and control the spread of this highly infectious and contagious disease?
I am not sure that every veterinarian in Ireland is being contacted, but I am sure that they are aware of the position from news items. They would be so aware, above all, being conscious of health in farming. It is important that Members stress the importance of vigilance on this issue. This is not a nod and a wink situation. It must be ensured products originating in or coming through the United Kingdom are not tolerated.
While we are in constant contact with our Northern Ireland counterparts, we will not clear it until a certain item is clarified. Pigs were delivered to an abattoir and the lorry which delivered them brought back other animals. Until the origin of the animals is cleared, a ban is being placed on Northern Ireland. The Border area is difficult to patrol. That is the reason additional staff have been stationed there to ensure every farmer is extremely vigilant. There was a fantastic response in 1968 to the outbreak in England, of which everyone was conscious. I remember people did not come home on holidays from England in case they brought the disease with them. They were also frowned upon if they came home because an outbreak of the disease would have caused an economic disaster. We need to be vigilant and strong on this issue. The Border area is the difficult matter until we ensure there is no trace of infection present in Northern Ireland.
I thank the Minister of State for his opening comments and welcome the fact that regulations are in place. That said, will we rely on Dáil reports and other news items to inform veterinary surgeons? Are there that many of them that they cannot be contacted directly to ensure they are fully aware of the regulations the Government puts in place? It reminds me of the order concerning BSE made in 1989 by the then Minister, Deputy O'Kennedy, about which nothing was done until 1996. This issue is so serious that we need to ensure it is dealt with seriously.
I wish to follow up the issue raised by Deputy Penrose. The Border area presents a serious problem. As I live there, I know how difficult it is to man. If we could obtain agreement with the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland in order that the ports there were properly manned, it would be much simpler than manning the Border. It is one island as far as this disease is concerned.
Has the Minister of State been in contact with the National Pig Health Council which has been involved in the control of importation in recent years? I understand it is a voluntary body and does a magnificent job. It would be aware of what pigs have been imported recently and which are committed to being imported as far as the pure-bred section is concerned.
Is the Minister of State satisfied that imported meat and meat products are safe and should they be allowed in?
I thank Deputy Crawford for his concern on the issue. All meat products originating in the United Kingdom or being transported through it will be banned.
When?
As and from this morning.
They have been banned.
I understand the European Commission will do something similar at 5 p.m. The disease is of a pan-Asian origin. Products from Greece are banned because of the presence of the disease there. The disease occurs mostly in Borneo, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Brazil and other parts of the world remote to us. It is a mystery how it reached the farm in question. It has not yet been established how that happened.
We have been in hourly contact with the Northern authorities on this issue, especially in tracing the lorry that arrived in Northern Ireland. That is being followed up quickly by the Northern authorities. There is great co-operation between the Departments and authorities in both jurisdictions when it comes to tackling disease. I am sure Deputies will be aware of this from the Ulster Unionist farmers' visits on many occasions. There is joint co-operation.
Given what Deputy Crawford said, we will try to have our veterinary officers contact all veterinary officers to ensure they are aware of any relevant imports. That includes many types of meat products originating in the United Kingdom. In the current situation, any pigs or animals imported from Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours, which would be around the time the truck arrived in the North, will be slaughtered and detained. If they are found not to have the disease, they will be released after 27 February. It is very strict.
This issue only arose last night and the reaction of the Department has been spontaneous and quick. Gardaí at points of entry have also been notified. Nothing can help as much in this situation as national co-operation on the part of all those concerned.
I thank the Minister of State for his replies so far. He said all the authorities at our sea and air ports are on alert but is that enough? This is an emergency. Should that response not be stepped up? I am aware of the regular call one gets to report to the agricultural authority at a sea or airport but does the Minister of State feel there is a need to step that up? Regarding the products on our shelves, the Minister of State said that imports are banned as of now, I assume, but what about products in the country? How can the Minister of State assure us of the safety of those products?
The alert is updated. I am aware of the comments made when one lands at an airport, where procedures may seem a bit tedious or irrelevant because people do not see this as a danger. However, people will now be conscious of the danger and a great national spirit is exhibited in an emergency like this. However, the vigilance and procedures will be updated. Any meat products in the country are not from that area and I assume they are fine. There is very little pig importation into Ireland except on rare occasions when a particular pedigree or type is sought.
There is a very high alert at present, particularly among veterinary officers near ports. It is hard to stop animals coming across the Border but our officers are on high alert, particularly in port areas, until we learn how this disease came to be where it was found and how confined it is. We do not know how far it has spread but it is in the animals that mixed in this abattoir and animals from a farm near the abattoir were transported to Northern Ireland, so that is our worry. We will co-operate with the authorities there and I am sure we will get a positive response from them, just as we have on other disease issues, such as disease of potatoes for instance.
Dr. Upton
I sympathise with the Minister of State on this occasion as this disease is very contagious and infectious and very difficult to contain. In the unfortunate event of an outbreak occurring in Ireland is there an emergency plan in place? What kind of action does the Minister of State see as necessary if the disease is to be contained? Does he consider a vaccination programme a possibility for containment?
The disease is highly contagious, particularly in pigs. If there is an outbreak here there will be a plan but the movement of clusters of people will also be restricted, particularly gatherings of people from farms. Those would be immediately banned as a preventative measure, as they were in 1968, and the same would happen in England. We do not know until we see how far this has gone in England, as there is a danger the English authorities may not have known for two or three days.
This highly infectious viral disease affects cattle, pigs, sheep, deer and goats and is characterised by the development of blisters in the mouth, causing increased salivation, and lameness. Those in regular contact with animals will see that readily but regarding vaccination or any other systems that could be used, if there is any danger here national measures will be taken immediately.
Dr. Upton
Is a plan being formulated or is one in place? Have the details been worked out? The spread in the UK indicates that this is quite dramatic and has spread rapidly to a number of farms. Will the Minister of State give us some details of the plan and tell us what stage the emergency plan is at?
The Deputy will appreciate that the immediate issue is preventing the disease from coming into the country. There are other plans being formulated but I do not know what is happening in that area. The immediate reaction was to block the ports and to trace the lorry which went to Northern Ireland. Other plans to deal with an emergency are being developed by the veterinary division.
Is the Minister of State satisfied he has the full details of the outbreak from Great Britain? When was the first outbreak there confirmed? Was his Department notified immediately by the British authorities? How many outbreaks have occurred in Britain since this diagnosis was made? Prevention is better than cure but has the Department taken adequate steps to ensure there is a red alert in operation and that any British meat products now coming into the country will be impounded until such time as the origin of such products is known? How long did the British authorities know this outbreak had occurred before notifying the Department?
I assure the Deputy that all meat coming from or through Britain is banned and will be seized. It is unclear when this was found in Britain but there was confirmation last night of what I presume was detected earlier yesterday on farms. The source is at present unclear but the infected animals came from Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight. The only other country in the EU where this disease broke out was northern Greece last year and all products from or coming through that area are banned.
After the outbreak in Britain in 1968, the next outbreak was in 1981. The last case in Ireland was in 1941 so we have a good record of prevention but I seek the co-operation of all members of the public, particularly those in rural areas, in reporting any infringements of the law in this regard to the DVO or to the Garda, who are also on national alert regarding this issue.
Will the Minister of State elaborate on an aspect of his reply? I agree with him that the most sensitive area relates to trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Will he inform us of the nature of contacts between his Department or at Government level and the Department of Trade and Industry in Northern Ireland to ensure the importation of all food products is immediately banned?
There is regular weekly contact at the highest levels of the Civil Service in Britain and the Civil Service here and the Northern Ireland Civil Service was immediately alerted to this problem. However, we are on alert regarding imports from the UK. There is one truck that brought animals from the farm adjacent to the infected farm and the Northern Ireland authorities are tracing it. They will inform us when they find it, they will ensure there is no movement from it and they will ensure those animals will be slaughtered immediately.
Do we know how much British meat products are on our shelves? I am sure they will be taken from the shelves and tested, returned or destroyed. What is the position regarding meat exports from Ireland? Will this affect us? Matters are bad enough with the BSE crisis without this.
As the Deputy will be aware, there is free trade between our two countries and within the EU. We would not necessarily have knowledge about what came in before this alert. It does not affect the exportation of animals or meat from this country to the UK. However, additional concerns have arisen in respect of the vehicles used to transport such animals and meat. We must ensure that those vehicles are properly disinfected before their return.
Will the Minister of State indicate the exact lines of communication that have been established with the UK authorities? Will communications be between the chief veterinary officers or Secretaries General at the relevant Departments in both jurisdictions or will they take place at political level? Is the nature of these contacts informal or has a formal protocol been put in place to ensure that the latest and most accurate information from the UK and Northern Ireland will be automatically transmitted to the Irish authorities?
I assure the Deputy that communications will take place at the highest level between the chief veterinary officers and other officials who are in regular contact with their British and Northern Irish counterparts. The European Union will also have a role to play in this regard. There may have been a certain lack of communication within the British system, which is a cause for slight concern. However, the Deputy will be aware that the Commission is going to take control of many areas and ensure that a wider alert system is put in place. I assure him that we will remain in contact with the British authorities dealing with this emergency who are charged with sealing off affected areas and ensuring that the disease does not spread outside those areas. Deputy Upton stated that there are rumours that the disease has spread beyond the original area affected. I have not heard whether that is the case but the disease is highly contagious.
I imagine that the immediate concern of the British authorities is to contain the outbreak of the disease and they have been most co-operative in providing us with updated information and in ensuring that there is no transportation of animals outside the areas affected. In addition, they have accepted the total ban on the transportation of all animals and meat, including those transported through Great Britain to Ireland.
The second part of my question, which involves an important matter, was not answered. Regardless of the level at which they take place, it is not sufficient that communications should occur on an informal basis and involve people who know each other keeping in contact by telephone. A formal protocol must be put in place in order that the best and most accurate information is automatically forthcoming to the Irish authorities. If such a protocol does not exist, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development should travel to London to ensure that it is put in place. The Minister of State should bring this matter to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Walsh, because I presume from his reply that such a protocol has not been put in place and that the communication of information between senior officials is taking place on the basis of the goodwill and friendship developed out of previous contact.
I assume the authorities in any country where there is an outbreak of foot and mouth disease would be disposed to ensuring that it did not spread to other jurisdictions. I do not have the information requested by the Deputy but I will check the position and communicate with him later.
What additional measures are being taken – I refer, for example, to a high profile advertising campaign on TV and radio – to alert members of the public travelling between Ireland and Britain, from the point of view of the risks to animal and human health? I accept that the risks to the latter are minimal. What is being done to ensure that the stringent controls being put in place will be completely effective and that people will take extreme precautions when visiting Britain, particularly those areas affected by the disease? Is it correct that the UK has banned the export of all cloven hoofed animals, including cattle, goats, pigs and sheep? Is the Minister of State in a position to indicate if that step, to which Britain's chief veterinary officer referred, been taken?
The Deputy can rest assured that there will be a heightened level of security at airports and ports as a result of this alert. Consideration of the best steps to take in this regard is ongoing. The ban on the exportation of cattle and other animals from Britain will apply in respect of all European Union countries from 5 p.m. The ban was imposed in respect of exports to Ireland earlier today.
I wish to revert to the question posed by Deputies Clune and Johnny Brady. The Minister of State indicated that, as of now, the importation of foodstuffs from Great Britain has been banned. However, supermarket shelves in this country are already stocked with products from that country which arrived last week, at the weekend or as late as yesterday. Will the Minister of State and his colleagues at the Department of Health and Children take action to have those products removed from supermarket shelves immediately? I appreciate that the ban on importation applies from today, but supermarkets already have in stock foodstuffs from Great Britain which arrived in the past two weeks. This issue must be addressed and the Minister of State has not yet indicated how he intends to do so.
If there is a danger that food products imported in the past two weeks might pose a threat to human health, we will ensure, on foot of advice from our veterinary officials, that they are removed immediately. This matter could give rise to major economic consequences. I am not in a position provide information regarding the safety of food products already on supermarket shelves. The disease has spread quite rapidly in one area of Britain. If food products originated in the north of England, they may pose no threat to human health because they have been prepared before the outbreak of the disease. There is no real threat to human health in any event. Humans only suffer a minor infection, which is easily overcome, on consuming meat infected with the disease.
The Minister of State referred earlier to our great national spirit. That spirit is extremely important but, unfortunately, there are a number of rogue farmers, dealers or others abroad and this issue is much too serious to rely solely on the "national spirit". For example, I refer to a case in Cork where people where given suspended sentences as a result of irregularities involving a number of cows.
This is a serious issue. The pig industry, particularly in the Border area, endured a horrendous period when many producers went out of business while others will be obliged to live with the losses they experienced for many years. We cannot afford to take any chances in respect of this matter if we are to protect the pig industry and the other industries to which the Minister of State referred.
What plans have been put in place by the Garda Síochána to ensure that, in the short term at least, infected animals are not transported across the Border? As stated earlier, I would have preferred if the importation of animals was stopped at port level on an all-Ireland basis. In the short term we must ensure that the Border is properly manned because we cannot rely on the national spirit to safeguard an industry at risk. The Minister of State has overall responsibility for this matter but the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and others have a role to play. A clear indication of how it is being dealt with must be provided because our largest industry and people's health must not be put at risk.
As already stated, the Garda Commissioner was contacted this morning and asked to put in place the appropriate support for the Department's veterinary offices on the Border in Dundalk, Cavan-Monaghan, Donegal, Fermanagh and Leitrim. It is difficult to patrol the Border region, however, particularly when one considers the number of back roads, side roads and adjoining farms. We are relying on people to co-operate with the DVO and the Garda Síochána. I am aware that there is a small minority of individuals who would see opportunity in any situation. However, it is time people made the identity of these individuals known to the authorities particularly if their activities pose a threat to the health of livestock animals such as pigs, sheep, goats or deer.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.