Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 1 Mar 2001

Vol. 531 No. 5

Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31: Foot and Mouth Disease.

Mr. Penrose

I thank the Chair for agreeing to take this important matter which permeates through the economy. This signifies the importance attached to the debate.

The Labour Party acknowledges and appreciates the difficulties the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and his Department officials face. We wish to support the Government in its efforts to ensure the disease does not reach this jurisdiction. We do so in the national interest, as outlined on previous occasions. We wish to support the Government which must show leadership which it has been slow to do to date. We are disappointed at the level of leadership shown.

The Government's actions have been characterised by statements such as "there is no crisis, yet". When we reach that point, it will too late. There was no political pointscoring in my contribution and that of my colleague, Deputy Upton, on this important matter in the past week. We indicated on Tuesday, prior to the confirmation which emanated from Bríd Rogers's office yesterday, that it represents a national emergency. We sought to have put in place a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Taoiseach to ensure a co-ordinated strategic response from the various Departments involved. An effort of sorts has been to do this, but we are still not satisfied that it encompasses all the relevant Departments involved. If we do not get it right at the top, it will be extremely difficult for people throughout the country to react in the positive way the nation needs them to act. That is the reason we wanted the Taoiseach to chair a sub-committee comprising the Tánaiste and the Ministers for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Public Enterprise, Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Foreign Affairs and sought to make its response the focal point of our defence strategy to ensure this dreaded scourge of food and mouth disease does not reach this jurisdiction. As the Minister acknowledged, we were eager that the matter be tackled on an all-island basis. Such a mechanism would ensure difficulties regarding the transportation and interchanging of animals throughout the country would be avoided.

Confirmation last night by the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Ms Bríd Rodgers, that she believed sheep in south Armagh had been infected by foot and mouth disease has sent shock waves reverberating around the island. It is extremely worrying because almost all the consignment of sheep sourced at the Carlisle market that entered the island were transferred to this State. People at the centre of the movement of these sheep have serious questions to answer. That one of the people the authorities wish to question has effectively gone missing is an indication of the seriousness of the matter.

Mr. Quinn

Exactly.

Mr. Penrose

I concur with the IFA President Tom Parlon who said today that the full rigours of the law should be used to root out any dealer, farmer or factory owner who failed to comply with the regulations on the movement of farm animals.

The issue concerning us now is how to put in place provisions that will ensure any case of foot and mouth disease is contained and eliminated. A single case of foot and mouth disease in this State would have potentially devastating effects on the economy generally and for rural society in particular. This is why we must all act responsibly and play whatever role is necessary to prevent the spread of this terrible virus if a case is confirmed on the island.

It is worth illustrating the importance of the agri-industry to Ireland. Most Members of the House are acutely aware of its importance. Last week, because of the measures that were put in place, workers in some bacon factories were put on a three day week. Others were about to be notified that they would be put on a three day week next week. This has had a huge impact in the midlands and I am sure that is echoed throughout the country. Approximately 45,000 members of SIPTU are directly involved in the food and allied industries. There are 200,000 jobs in the agri-food sector in general. The recent household survey indicated that 123,000 people were employed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, while others are employed in ancillary industries in the agri-food sector, such as transport and haulage.

The food industry is still the cornerstone of the economy and is worth approximately £6 billion. Anything that impacts on that has an effect on every other area. If ever an issue welded together the interests of rural and urban Ireland, this is it because it will have an impact on all strands of society. If it has an impact in rural Ireland, it will have a major knock-on effect in urban Ireland. Therefore, a united stand in relation to this important industry is required. Workers in factories, transport and haulage and exporters are involved.

As I illustrated previously, the industry is disproportionately important in Ireland in comparison to Britain in terms of our dependency on it and the ratio between livestock head per head of population. There are 8 million sheep and 8 million cattle in Ireland for a population of between 3.5 million and 4 million people. In Britain, there are 12 million cattle for a population of between 55 million and 56 million people. This demonstrates the importance of the industry in Ireland. As the Minister said, it is more than three times more important to our economy compared to any other EU member state. This is why we must fight to protect the industry and ensure nothing impacts on it. The biggest companies in Ireland, including the Kerry Group, Dairygold, AIBP, Glanbia and Kepak, are all major employers and, as I stated, there are more than 200,000 workers in the agri-food industry.

Nobody, with the possible exception of veterinary surgeons, has had any experience of or exposure to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. I called on the Minister yesterday to ensure that every vet dealing with the problem has an opportunity to retrain in this area. I accept the Minister's assurance that arrangements are in place in this regard, but it is an important aspect, as Deputy Dukes said, in terms of the identification of the disease. They must ensure it is not confused with other diseases, such as orf, which has similar symptoms. The food industry is worth £6 billion per annum and, as the Minister said, 80% of our produce is exported. Ireland is highly dependent on the export market and this is where the impact will be felt most.

The Minister has given calm assurances to the House since this problem was first raised last week and he outlined the measures that have been put in place. I appreciate and acknowledge that his officials are working flat out. It is important not to detain officials during this debate because their prime duty is dealing with the issues on the ground. However, this debate is important and we appreciate the Minister's presence. I acknowledge the work of the officials, but there is a gap between the official statements made by the Minister and the practices on the ground. This is the feedback Deputies have received and there also appears to be a slowness to appreciate the gravity of the situation. There was also a tardiness about putting in place the task force we recommended on Tuesday. That group should have been the first step.

The Taoiseach must take a lead in this area. I am not trying to score political points in this and I was disappointed with the comments of some Deputies earlier. However, it is important the Taoiseach leads by example. I suggested he make a broadcast after the main news bulletins at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on television to ensure that every citizen appreciates the seriousness of the problem. All other matters should take second place. The Taoiseach could have easily cancelled his Welsh visit and been present today to deal with this important matter and support his Ministers.

Another element of the feedback we have received is that there is poor access to information and advice. This is demonstrated in today's media reports. Yesterday, some people went to the Minister's Department on Kildare Street, but there were no mats or disinfecting processes in place. The Government must give a lead. That may appear to be a trivial matter, but an example must be given at every agriculture and Teagasc office throughout the State. They must show a lead and every veterinary officer must be notified in that regard. As we said last week, that should have been one of the first measures taken.

The public must be made fully aware of what they can do to minimise the risk of spreading foot and mouth disease to farms in Ireland. Communication of the message and putting in place the appropriate policing and decontamination measures are the Government's responsibility. This is why it must take the lead on this matter. However, it is clear from the feedback we have received from the public that there are still huge gaps in the measures being undertaken in the State to reduce the risk of infection from foot and mouth disease. The ring of steel in the Border counties clearly has holes. It would be foolish not to accept that the task of making the Border watertight is difficult. However, the economic and social consequences of leaving gaps in Border inspections would be so huge that every resource must be put in place to prevent traffic passing through without inspection.

Sporting organisations throughout the State have acted responsibly and cancelled all sporting events. These organisations have shown great leadership. However, as I said previously, I regret the decision by the Taoiseach to pursue his visit to Wales today. I received communications from many rugby followers who cancelled their trips and who may not get refunds. They said that if they cannot travel, they have no come back. In the light of the Taoiseach's decision to travel to Wales, they feel that maybe they should travel also. They are not going to farms; they are obviously travelling for recreational purposes. Therefore, the example of the Taoiseach is important.

For those who insist on travelling outside the State, it is vital that upon re-entry each person would go through the disinfection procedure. Information leaflets should be handed out to every air and sea passenger travelling to Ireland, informing them of the devastating consequences of foot and mouth disease and of the need for them to go through the disinfected ports. Any footwear in their luggage should also be treated. Those who have been in contact with farm animals during their trip outside the State should be encouraged to act responsibly and not to return until the crisis has passed.

Yesterday my aunt, who was to travel home at the weekend, rang me and I told her to cancel her trip. That is what people must do. One must tell people not to travel. This is why the Minister should issue mandatory directions to people and why I said it was unfortunate that the Minister was adopting a softly, softly approach.

As a school child in 1967, I remember that Masses were called off and people did not have to attend the churches. This is an opportunity before the weekend for the Minister to contact the heads of every denomination in Ireland to ensure that a special message is put out from the pulpits about how important it is that at this stage every farmer should have a disinfection bath at the farm gate. Every farmer, irrespective of where the farm is based, at least should have a disinfection bath.

My own people are involved in farming. The time may have come when farmers must register to produce food, that there must be a registration mechanism in place in order to engage in food production. Anybody who breaks the rules regarding farm production should be treated like a company director under section 150 of the Company Law Act, 1963, and disallowed from pursuing that livelihood. The livelihoods of too many good farmers who obey the rules are at stake. All you need is one bad apple to spoil the whole basket. If company directors can be disqualified from holding directorships for a number of years, why should a similar penalty not apply to any farmer who purposely injects an animal in order to gain compensation? These people should be taken out of the equation altogether. They should not be allowed farm again. It is as simple as that.

This is a national issue and it permeates everything. It is beyond politics. We are protecting our green gold, the only equivalent to oil in this country. The Minister should take whatever emergency measures are necessary. If it takes tagging, registration or other measures in order that every farmer can be identified, so be it.

Before I came into the House I received a telephone call from a business person who thought that all the measures were in place because we introduced the CMMS scheme. He said that it would be very easy to identify the 20 sheep which have gone missing because they are tagged, but I told him they were not. He said that he had got the impression a few weeks ago that they were. That is why this outbreak must lead to a fundamental sea change in the attitude governing the way we produce food. If it takes such a move, farmers are prepared to play their role if the views of the farmers I spoke to this morning are anything to go by. Every one of them wants to ensure that they can continue to produce wholesome food. They do not want anybody in their midst who acts in any way which spoils that image and undermines that process.

I want to raise another practical issue which is not meant as a criticism. According to the media this morning, it seems that the Department does not have a website comparable to that of the British Ministry. This is an important issue and it is critical because an increasing number of people use this new method of absorbing and disseminating information. The Department must use every conceivable method of ensuring that people are aware of the particular problems and my colleague, Deputy Upton, will address this later. It is critical that the Department updates and expands its website in line with that available to British farmers. Every time we log on to the British website, the Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Nick Brown, has added something extra. The farmer's union also adds something to it every day, exhorting and encouraging British farmers to act in a particular way and to obey the guidelines.

Those are the issues I would draw to the attention of the Minister. I am trying to be as constructive as possible. Yesterday we asked if there was enough disinfectant to cater for the increased number of disinfection posts in the areas at risk. I have been led to believe that there is a shortage of this product and I understand that companies have been in contact with the Department offering products which might be effective.

Mrs. Owen

Citric acid.

Mr. Penrose

It is important that the Department examines such offers rigorously to make sure they are effective products which deal adequately with the problem. Although I do not want to go into the technical aspects of it, there is a pH range in that regard, as the Minister will be aware. It is crucial that this shortage is addressed without delay.

I want to renew my call to the Minister to put in place disinfection posts at all offices of the Department because many farmers must drop into their local office of the Department or, indeed, the Department office on Kildare Street on a regular basis to hand in forms or seek advice on filling out forms. In the current situation call upon the Minister to show some degree of leniency in the processing of payments to farmers. Farmers may not be in a position to communicate with the Department and therefore I ask him to show a degree of leniency to those farmers who have upheld the law through thick and thin.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to give a further update to the House on this very serious matter. Yesterday I answered Private Notice Questions here for up to two hours and the Minister of State, Deputy Davern, did so the previous day for about an hour and a half.

I acknowledge the constructive nature of Deputy Penrose's contribution. He made a number of suggestions which I will seek to take up, but I appreciate the fact that he made no attempt to score political points.

At this point we do not have foot and mouth disease in the Republic of Ireland. There have been no symptoms and there has not been a clinical case of the disease but we are treating the situation as if that were the case. It is most unhelpful and treasonous for the media to have headlines like "It is here", considering the amount of time the chief veterinary officer and other senior people spent this morning alone in contact with our customers worldwide. Over 60 countries were wanting to ban our products because of extremely negative headlines. It does not help the situation whatsoever.

I agree with what the Deputy said regarding people who break the rules. They should be prosecuted. In fact, in my part of the country there are people I know who are in jail for breaking the rules. There are some serious problems in this country regarding animal health and people nearly forget that we have a major BSE problem also. There is a person in jail for infecting his own herd by illegally bringing in cattle from outside the jurisdiction. It is hard to believe but it is true. In other cases, people were prosecuted for fiddling with testing procedures for brucellosis and tuberculosis to gain compensation but, as the Deputy stated correctly, there is a very small number of such people. Although their number is minute, nonetheless such people do exist.

The Deputy made a suggestion regarding the registration of farmers. The House enacted the National Beef Assurance Scheme Bill which would provide for such registration. In fact, we encountered a great deal of resistance from the farming organisations, especially the main one, the IFA, because it wanted the general public to pay for the cost of it. I think that is quite unreasonable. Similarly, it is quite true that there is no sheep tagging system in this country at present. My Department has sought to introduce such a system and there have been discussions with the social partners over the last year. There has been resistance to sheep tagging, even though its introduction is long overdue. I fully support what Deputies have said on the matter.

I suggest that Deputies should access the Department's website to judge it for themselves. It is as comprehensive as any website that I know of and is updated at least twice daily. All relevant information is available there, including details of symptoms of the disease, clinical signs and the notification procedure.

From the outset, I have said that we are all in this situation together. Certain aspects of the problem can be dealt with by senior officials and veterinary officers of my Department but the situation demands the co-operation of many agencies and a wide range of people. Indeed, every citizen has a part to play. If people find problems or gaps in the system, we welcome being informed so that the necessary improvements can be made. Just as people exercise their own discretion about calling in their GP on a human health matter, any farmer who sees an animal showing any unusual symptoms should contact his local veterinary officer and the Department. Five help lines were operated in the Department from day one.

We responded promptly to the constructive suggestion for an inter-agency task force to be set up. The first meeting was chaired by the Taoiseach and I have chaired subsequent meetings, which are held every day at 8 a.m. Due to my involvement in this morning's meeting, I have been criticised by some people for not being on the RTE radio "Morning Ireland" programme at the same time.

There is a management dimension to this situation. At this moment, my Department's chief vet erinary officer and senior officials are present in this House, and rightly so, because this is the national Parliament, but there is also a great deal of other work to be done.

On the matter of disinfectants, 43 approved products are listed on the website. The Department is maintaining contact on the supply situation with the industry and with the co-op societies whose boards of directors are mostly farmers, including multinational companies such as Glanbia and Kerry. The onus and responsibility lies with them to co-operate together in the interests of their own farmer clients. Surely they cannot expect some official in my Department to go out and buy supplies of disinfectant for them? My latest information, within the past hour, is that there is an adequate supply of disinfectant in the country. There may be some logistical problems in some areas but it is up to all parties concerned to make their very best efforts in this matter.

The Deputy also suggested that some consideration should be given to payments to farmers. Thankfully, there are no signs of foot and mouth disease in the Republic of Ireland at present. If it were to happen, it is not possible to say how long the situation might continue. If it went on for three months or six months, then farmers would obviously need to have some income during that time. I will see what can be done, subject to national and EU audit requirements.

I wish to outline briefly the background to this difficult situation and to review developments of the past week. The first outbreak of foot and mouth disease was confirmed in Essex on the Tuesday of last week, 20 February. The disease has now been confirmed in 33 other cases, on our latest figures. Unfortunately, it is not just localised. There is a wide geographical spread of these outbreaks with the disease now rampant across Great Britain in areas such as Northumbria, Wiltshire, Essex, Anglesea and Devon.

Suspect cases are under investigation at several other locations, including most recently in Armagh yesterday, 28 February. Yesterday at 7.30 p.m., I asked the chief veterinary officer of my Department to contact his counterpart in Northern Ireland to check the status of that suspect case. At that stage the reply was that a sample had been sent for laboratory analysis in Britain and they were awaiting the outcome. Regrettably, I have just now learned from my officials that the case in Northern Ireland has been confirmed as positive. This indicates just how fast the situation develops.

Last Sunday morning, on a BBC television programme, the British Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Nick Brown, was quite confident that the situation had been localised in Britain, as there had not been any outbreaks since the previous Friday. Yet, by next day, Monday, all those other outbreaks had occurred, demonstrating how very quickly it happens. On that Monday, I attended a Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting in Brussels at which the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Ms Bríd Rodgers, was also present. She was confident enough, at that stage, to seek a derogation to exclude Northern Ireland from the restrictions applicable to Great Britain, on the basis that the problem did not then affect Northern Ireland. Yet, by last night they were treating the case in Armagh as if it was an outbreak and now, unfortunately, it has been confirmed. That is how quickly events move with this virulent disease.

Following the confirmation of foot and mouth disease in Great Britain, the EU imposed a temporary ban on the exportation from the United Kingdom of susceptible animals, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and some other species, and of various milk and other animal products with effect from Wednesday, 21 February. Subsequently, the authorities in Britain imposed a ban on the movement of a range of animals and this has recently been extended for a further two weeks.

In the context of addressing the major threat posed by foot and mouth disease in Britain, Ireland took a range of measures in the days immediately following the UK ban. That included a ban on imports from Britain and Northern Ireland of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer and a range of animal products from such animals. This measure was already in place before the announcement by the EU Commission of its ban on UK exports.

Staff of my Department throughout the country and at key access points, such as ports and airports, were put on alert on the same day. Arrangements were made with the Gárda Síochána and the Army for appropriate resources to be sent to the Border area immediately. Advice notices were issued last Thursday to the industry, both directly and via the Food Safety Authority and the Department's own website, on the practical implications of the ban. On Friday, a voluntary ban was imposed on livestock marts in Border counties and on hunting.

Advice to the general public on the disease and its implications was included in extensive media advertising which went out on Thursday and was carried throughout last weekend, including the Sunday newspapers. I take the point made by Deputy Dukes that much of the advertising material related to various technical aspects of the disease. For the coming weekend, we have booked space for more reader friendly, or "in-the-face" material, in modern parlance. We did, of course, install telephone help lines from day one. Five lines were operated right through the weekend and every day since, answering calls full-time from the general public.

Imports of live sheep from Great Britain since 1 February have been monitored and these will now be slaughtered. In the situation which has occurred in County Wexford, the animals concerned have been under surveillance since their importation. They are being slaughtered today as a precautionary measure, even though, thankfully, the laboratory tests have proved negative. The EU veterinary authorities advised all mem ber states on Tuesday of this week that all sheep imported live from the UK should be slaughtered. I am aware of the understandable concern to which this decision has given rise in County Wexford. It was a precautionary measure only and has no other significance since the tests were negative.

I gave the House all information available to me yesterday and I have also consulted with Deputy Naughten about another consignment of sheep which came in via Northern Ireland and were slaughtered in a meat processing plant in Athleague, County Roscommon. As far as we know, though we have no proof at this stage, the importation came via the farm in Northern Ireland on which the outbreak of foot and mouth disease has occurred. Those sheep were slaughtered before the ban came into operation and before the outbreak in Great Britain itself. The entire plant at Athleague was placed under veterinary supervision, sanitised and fumigated. All the staff were interviewed individually, as a precautionary measure and, in the case of 12 of them, their farms are now restricted. The surveillance of those farms has not indicated any problems. The matter is being pursued by the RUC, the special branch of the Garda and police in the United Kingdom because of its criminal implications.

Arrangements were made from the outset to ensure the disinfection of vehicles and individuals at entry points. These were enhanced over the weekend. Significant additional resources have been diverted to ensure the arrangements are properly enforced. Anyone travelling to and from Ireland will hear announcements that, because of foot and mouth regulations, they should visit the Department's offices at each of the points of entry. This arrangement, among others, has been enhanced through the erection of additional signs. I have said repeatedly that there is a primary duty on everyone to avail of these facilities. Their co-operation is needed. There is a drugs problem in Dublin not because someone did not do his or her job, but because someone broke the rules and imported illegal drugs. There would not have been armed conflict for many years if people had not been able to smuggle in weapons as large as rocket launchers. As the disinfection arrangements will be difficult to enforce comprehensively, the co-operation of every citizen is needed.

I do not have difficulty with criticism of weaknesses in the system on which we work when brought to our attention. It was harsh for personnel of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Customs, the Army and the Garda to man checkpoints on the Border in recent days. I take my hat off to them as they have done an outstanding job. That said, Deputies should inform us if there are weaknesses and we will ensure they are dealt with.

Advice has been given to the public by various means on the measures required to minimise the risk of introducing the disease. This has been done in a range of areas from day one. It was suggested that local radio should be availed of to spread the message. That has been done. People have become more vigilant as a result and we have received many telephone calls about suspect cases.

Foot and mouth is an unusual disease of which lameness and drooling at the mouth are symptoms. A veterinary officer is sent to all such cases immediately. Six, seven or more cases are under surveillance at any one time. Fortunately, no case of the disease has been identified. Other measures include a ban on sales at livestock marts, controls on the sale of used farm machinery from Great Britain and a ban on the importation of horses from Great Britain.

The Irish Rugby Football Union was requested by the Department to cancel the Wales-Ireland rugby match. Following a meeting it agreed to do so. This is at variance with a distortion of truth in a newspaper in my part of the country. Such distortions are of no assistance in dealing with the problem. The Irish Kennel Club was requested to cancel its dog classes at the forthcoming St. Patrick's Day dog show. The Office of Public Works has suspended all arterial drainage works and is closing Dublin Zoo. While much can be done in a mandatory way, the IRFU, the GAA and Dúchas have responded magnificently voluntarily.

I contacted my counterpart in Wales in an effort to have the Welsh Rugby Football Union cancel the Wales-Ireland match. It was not until a ban was imposed here that the Welsh decided not to proceed with the game. Despite the outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Britain, games will still be held in Great Britain this weekend. The restrictions, controls and measures in place in many areas here are more rigorous than those in place in the United Kingdom.

Although not susceptible to the disease, all horse and greyhound race meetings have been cancelled. Bord na gCon and the Irish Horseracing Authority have been co-operative. Racehorse trainers are due to meet today to decide whether they should travel to Cheltenham. We have advised them not to do so. In spite of this people in the United Kingdom are acting as if the Cheltenham racing festival will proceed. That is not right or proper. We have asked racehorse trainers in the strongest possible terms not to travel. This plague can travel through the air and can be carried by susceptible animals which pose the highest risk. Even though the animals do not suffer from the disease, their bedding, various animal products and the trucks which transport them can carry it.

Acting Chairman (Mr. McGrath)

The Minister who has only one minute remaining still has a great deal more to say. Is it agreed that he should have an additional five minutes to complete his contribution? Agreed.

Mr. Walsh

I understand I will wind up the debate when I will have an opportunity to answer any specific questions Members may have.

I compliment sports, cultural and other bodies for their actions. The organisers of the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin made contact with us. Our strong advice to them was that, even though the event is considered to pose a low risk, it was best to avoid large gatherings unless absolutely necessary. As one can imagine, they were devastated, given the amount of work that goes into its organisation. It is a huge disappointment given that tens of thousands come to Dublin each year for it. We regret the inconvenience caused.

Mrs. Owen

Will the organisers of local parades be asked to do likewise?

Mr. Walsh

Yes, despite the fact that it will be a source of huge disappointment and inconvenience and cost them dear.

A major public information campaign is about to get under way, elements of which will be undertaken by Teagasc, a major advisory agency. It will use its network of offices at which helplines will be established. Deputy Penrose asked that a high level task force be appointed. That has been done. It meets at 8 a.m. every day and is chaired by the Taoiseach and me alternately. It includes other Ministers and key officials from agencies such as Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta.

Since my speech was written the case in Armagh has proved positive. Appropriate measures, including the introduction of an exclusion zone around the premises, are being taken. According to the media the farm straddles the Border. That is untrue. It is a few miles from it. However, the exclusion zone, the order for which I signed last night, extends to north County Louth. All animal movements into and out of the zone are prohibited. I have copies of the order if anyone wishes to see it. The Garda is supporting the Department in controlling this zone. The suspect case has arisen because sheep imported from Great Britain to a location in Armagh had apparently been at a mart in Carlisle, a location from which other sheep subsequently confirmed as FMD positive were moved. It has emerged that sheep from Great Britain, which may have come through the Armagh farm, may have been illegally imported into Ireland for slaughter at the Athleague plant. This aspect is under intensive investigation and various actions have been taken as a precautionary measure – such actions relate to the 12 staff who had farm contact.

I do not propose to enter into a detailed discussion of the facts at this stage because the matter is subject to RUC and Garda investigation. The full rigours of the law will be brought to bear regarding any criminal activity or illegality involved.

The exclusion zone came into effect last night. By 10.30 a.m. we had sent 15 additional vets to the area to visit every farm. We are asking people to inform the Department of any suspect animals in their area. We will visit suspect animals and the farmers nearer to the Northern Ireland farm as early as possible.

As yet, there is no evidence of the presence of foot and mouth disease in the Republic. My Department has checked details regarding the import of sheep since 1 February. I appeal to any farmer who received any such sheep or any processor who has knowledge of such imports to come forward. This is a difficult issue to deal with. We inquired during discussions with the Scottish and Northern Ireland authorities how they knew the number of sheep imported. We were told by the Scottish authorities: "We signed for 271" and the Northern Ireland authorities told us "We weighed them and were then able to assess the number imported". That is unsatisfactory. One cannot do anything about aspects outside one's jurisdiction.

Foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease of all cloven hoofed animals. It is non-lethal in adult animals, although it causes serious production losses. It is characterised by blisters on the tongue and mouth and lameness. There is a great deal of confusion regarding BSE, mad cow disease and foot and mouth disease. It is not a public health matter and there are no safety implications involved.

The primary method of transmission is by direct contact or via respiratory particles or droplets. However, the disease is often spread by the movement of animals, vehicles, people, equipment, products or animal feed and is believed to have spread from France to the Isle of Wight through the air in 1987. There are no serious health implications although humans in contact with infected animals very occasionally suffer mild respiratory symptoms. Humans do not become infected by eating meat from infected animals.

An outbreak of foot and mouth disease here would, as has been said, have devastating consequences. In the first instance, there would be a temporary ban on exports of susceptible animals and their products and various controls of animal movements would be imposed. Infected animals as well as in-contact animals would have to be slaughtered and incinerated. The duration of the bans and controls would depend on the scale and range of the outbreak and the success of the controls adopted. However, Ireland would continue to be banned from several markets into the future as a number of importing countries insist on freedom from foot and mouth disease for several years after an outbreak. An outbreak would also significantly impair our capacity in the medium term to market our livestock and livestock products as high quality products because of our white health status.

The situation is extremely fast-moving and will progress further in the next few days. With everybody's assistance I am hopeful we can avoid an outbreak of foot and mouth disease here and I want to assure the House, as I have done on an almost daily basis for the past week, that this issue is receiving the utmost priority. If there is any aspect of this matter with which I have not dealt I will do so during Question Time today or I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Davern, to deal with them in his contribution to the debate.

Mr. Dukes

In bringing us news of confirmation of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Armagh the Minister has brought us news that is only one step short of the worst possible news. The disease is now present on this island. It is no longer possible for us to try, on an all-island basis, which is the least difficult one, to keep this disease out. It behoves us to act now as though an outbreak of this disease has been identified in this jurisdiction. I do not say that to run a scare. I think the Minister will agree that if we put in place the kinds of controls that would be enforced if an outbreak were identified, we will be in a much better position, if an outbreak is identified, to contain it. I would like to hear the Minister of State tell this House at the end of this debate that we will act in that manner.

It would be useful for us to know what we are dealing with. Perhaps the Minister of State will tell us how the current outbreak in the UK compares with the outbreak in 1967. It took four months to deal with that outbreak – 2,300 cases were identified in the UK. In this instance, just over 33 cases, covering a much wider spread of country in the UK than was the case in 1967, have been identified in a little over a week. I would like to see a comparison of how far the 1967 outbreak had gone after eight days compared to the outbreak now facing us.

I am far from an expert on these matters but looking at the location of outbreaks in the UK, it appears there is an epidemic. A great deal more cases of this disease are likely to be identified in the spaces between the outbreaks which have reached every corner of the UK. I cannot believe they would be so lucky as not to find a great deal more outbreaks in between those areas already identified. There is a pattern and movement of carriage which has given them the current distribution of outbreaks. I am sure these are not the only locations where outbreaks can be found.

Deputy Noonan asked the Tánaiste this morning for her view of what would be the consequences if outbreaks were identified here, and I was astonished that the Tánaiste had so little to say about the matter. The situation would be appalling. If outbreaks of foot and mouth disease are identified here the supply of animals to meat factories and the production of meat and meat products will be affected because animals will not be accepted from identified zones. Similarly the supply of milk to dairy plants will be affected. The more cases identified, the more damage that will be done. We will have exclusion zones where, for all practical purposes, social life will come to an end because of the need to control movement. We will gradually see, starting at the edges and moving in, an erosion of two of our most important industries, meat and meat products and milk and dairy products.

The longer the outbreak lasts and the more cases identified, the greater will be the erosion of those industries. The longer it lasts, the greater will be the number of outbreaks identified, the greater will be the number of exclusion zones and the more interference and damage done to the normal social intercourse of rural communities and, depending on where they are located, of towns. We can never be sure where outbreaks will be identified.

That is what is facing us. If we are to avoid such a situation we have to act now as if that problem has arisen. It was my view, up to yesterday, that the Government was taking more or less the right measures, but too slowly and with not enough vigour. On hearing today's news, the Government is lagging seriously behind what now needs to be done. There are huge deficiencies. I know the impossible cannot be done and there are things that take time to be put in place, but I am baffled that there are still so many deficiencies in the measures put in place.

One of the newspapers this morning carries a piece by a journalist who travelled from Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire, "Just one ferry official and a couple of brown mats represented the national effort to prevent the spread of foot and mouth into Ireland as I stepped off the Jonathan Swift from Holyhead yesterday."

Further down the article we get the good news and the bad news –"The disinfecting of commercial traffic was efficient and thorough, however, camping and other motorised passengers were not being carefully monitored although they, too, had to walk through disinfectant to get to their vehicles on the ship." There was a clear lack of rigour in the application of measures in that case.

Case after case of deficiencies in the application of these measures have been reported on in recent days. I will list a number of them, some of which have become sufficiently well known as to be notorious. First there was the case of the two young women who came back from an agricultural college in England and, when they "made themselves known", as the jargon has it, to officials of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, their names were taken. They were followed-up afterwards.

A choir comprising women from a rural area were not even greeted when they arrived back in Shannon from Wales during the past week. There was another case, reported to me also, of someone hill-walking in Northumbria who could not find anyone from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development in Dublin Airport. There was a case reported on the radio this morning of a passenger on a British Midlands flight from Manchester to Dublin who said there was an indistinct announcement on the aircraft but that she could not find the Department's office in Dublin Airport to present herself for disinfection.

Those are cases that have come to light, cases of people who in two cases of which I have heard said something a Senator colleague said in the other House and other people annoyed enough about the issue to ring one of the radio chat shows. If there are cases such as those we can be sure there are many more cases known by people who are too shy to ring a radio chat show or to talk to a politician.

We cannot assume that everybody knows about the dangers of foot and mouth disease. We cannot assume that everybody travelling here is aware there is a problem pending. Contrary to what was said in the House yesterday, I am sure that if any of us went out to the street and talked to the first 20 people we met, I would bet any amount of money that one would find four or five of those who would not have a clue what foot and mouth disease was, nor what the implications were or who could not care as they do not know anything about it.

Mr. Sargent

Hear, hear.

Mr. Dukes

I am sure that in this city and in every other city and town around the country one will find people who have no idea what foot and mouth disease is, who have no idea how rapidly it can spread and who have no idea that there is any problem in travelling to England. The Minister knows that as well as I do.

We can become mesmerised in the House by the fact that we read the newspapers and watch television and listen to the radio. Not everyone does it with the same kind of attention we do. I do not like doing this and am not being personally critical when I say what I am about say about the Taoiseach. I was delighted to find, yesterday, that a suggestion I made to the Minister that the Taoiseach take to the airwaves to speak to the people about this was being taken up. I saw the Taoiseach appear on the television last evening, but he was wasting his time. He did not convey to me any of the urgency of the situation or any of the reality and did not seem to me to give any advice of much worth to anyone. Had I not known much about the problem, he did not leave me with the feeling that I might there and then have decided not to go to see a premiership match in England or not to go to visit a cousin in a rural part of England. That was not the message that came across to me from the Taoiseach.

Of the measures that are in place we must wonder how effectively they are being implemented. Like everyone else in the House I have had telephone calls, e-mails and letters by the new time over the past couple of days. People are making simple straightforward points that need to be made.

On disinfection of vehicles, especially at ports, it is not enough to spray the outside of the wheels and the outside of the vehicle. The undersides of the vehicle should also be sprayed as vehicles that come here, especially those that have any connection with farming, carry earth and other material not only on the wheels and tyres but also on the underside of the vehicle.

When one brings a car into the local power-jet car wash – and it has always amused me that they are conscientious enough to do it – they wash the insides of the wheel arches. The people spraying vehicles coming into the country from England should spray the insides of the wheel arches and the entire underneath surface of the vehicle because that is what is required.

Another example – an odd and accidental bit of background seen on television footage the other evening, showed a lorry with a load of turnips in it going to Dundalk coming from Northern Ireland. The wheels and bodywork were being sprayed. These were turnips from Northern Ireland carrying earth from Northern Ireland going to Dundalk. The lorry was sprayed and nobody thought to examine the turnips. How much earth did that lorry bring in and what might it contain? This is an example of adherence to the letter of the law but certainly not to the application of the spirit or the intention of the law. How much more material of that kind is entering the country?

We must examine how those procedures are carried out and begin to take them seriously. How many people have been told, for example, that disinfectant mats over which vehicles will drive should be long enough to exceed the circumference of the wheel? It is not enough to disinfect a portion of a tyre. That is something people are not being told.

We will have a situation where, as Deputy Penrose said, we will have disinfectant mats at the entrance to every farm and there will be farms throughout the country where disinfectant mats will not be wide enough to do the job properly unless people are specifically told that that must be done.

The Minister volunteered information yesterday which I was glad to hear, that he would revise and review the manual of procedures to be given to officers of the Department involved in counter measures. I am delighted, and I hope that what is done is done quickly and that it is clear and readily comprehensible.

I asked the Minister to ensure that that is given to every vet in the country and to ensure that the information in the British Ministry's website on the symptoms of this disease would be included with that. I have been advised by veterinary practitioners from several parts of the country that the information on the British website about the symptoms of this disease if far clearer and more useful than anything on our current Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development website. I have seen this and it is much clearer and more usable. This should be included with the handbook and information for veterinary officers.

Yesterday I asked the Minister to ensure that this kind of information is made available in places where farmers can have access to it. I suppose one should not advertise in the House, but if there is not a direct method of communication available through the Department, the Minister will find no better way of getting information of this kind to farmer than through the Irish Farmers' Journal. Given all the paper the Department sends to farmers there should be a way of getting this information to them fairly readily and quickly.

I also asked the Minister – I would like to know if anything has been done about this – if his Department could give information to local authorities as to what they may do and what they may allow citizens to do. I was told yesterday that a group of farmers in an area of my county wanted to put disinfectant mats at strategic points on three access roads. When they rang the county council to find out what they could do an official told them, "I cannot tell you about that; I would have to get sanction from higher up", by which he meant the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.

I ask the Minister to ensure that it is made clear to local authorities what they can do and maybe specify the measures people can take without having to ask them for permission. If people want to put mats across a section of a public road clearly they will need authorisation from a local authority. It should be made clear to local authorities what they can do and, preferably, it should be made clear that they can do as much as is required in order to help people to protect themselves in this way.

Even though there is an apparent outbreak of foot and mouth disease on the island, it is still worthwhile trying to maintain control on the Border. I understand the points made by the Minister about the exclusion zone. One of the difficulties with much of this is how matters are presented. The Minister told us at 4.30 p.m. yesterday that he was setting up an exclusion zone and it was being processed with all haste in the part of the exclusion zone in our jurisdiction. I was told at 7.30 p.m. yesterday that there was no sign of any exclusion zone. The Minister told us he signed the order at 10.30 last night—

Mr. Walsh

At 9.30 p.m.

Mr. Dukes

—and that an effort was being made to get officials from his Department to visit the farmers in the part of the exclusion zone in this jurisdiction by 10.30 a.m. today. There is at least one farmer in that exclusion zone in our jurisdiction who had not been visited by 10.15 a.m. today. He did not know what was expected of him or what he should do. Although he was under the impression that from approximately 4.30 p.m. yesterday there were things he should be doing, he still did not know what they were this morning. This is not good. Clear information as to what is required and the duties of people in exclusion zones even before there is any question of them being in those zones should be made available quickly by the Minister and his Department.

If this situation was not so serious many of us on this and the other side of the House, including Deputy Kirk, would have laughed out loud when we were told this morning that 299 Border crossings are being policed by 400 gardaí and 200 soldiers, a total of 600 persons. This means there are two people per crossing for 24 hours. This is not policing Border crossings.

Mrs. Owen

What is needed is a ring of steel.

Mr. Dukes

I am delighted the Minister is revising the way advertising is carried out. I again ask him, the Taoiseach and the Government to make a specific commitment to getting across publicly and as simply and starkly as they can the message that people should avoid travelling to England or inviting people from England to come here unless it is absolutely necessary and they should avoid going to events here or anywhere else where large numbers of English people will be, for example, dog shows, horticultural shows, boat shows, food fairs, etc. Every gathering at which there will be English people should be avoided not because they are English but because foot and mouth disease is rampant in that country. We should act as if there was already an outbreak here.

I join with the Minister in congratulating those organisations which have already cancelled events. The Government should tell people planning large events – one of which is on this weekend, while another is on St. Patrick's Day – to revise their plans and, if possible, to cancel the event because the risks are too high to contemplate.

Mr. Sargent

I pay tribute to organisers who have cancelled events and ask those considering cancellation to follow their lead in the national interest. I also pay tribute to members of the security forces, some of whom have been injured, working on the front line. It is important to recognise their efforts. I sympathise with those people who have lost money. This morning on radio a Mr. Walsh from Wexford said he would suffer financial loss without, it seems, any compensation. It now seems as if St. Patrick's Day will be a stay-at-home day. This will bring home to those people not involved in farming the gravity of the crisis and emergency facing all of us.

Reference has been made to the foot and mouth disease outbreaks in England in 1967 and in Ireland in 1941. I agree with Deputy Dukes that we must look at these cases to see what lessons can be learned and to remind us of what can happen. One of the reasons for the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in England and the threats on our doorstep on this island is the huge increase in the transportation of animals since that time. We must take stock of the necessity for some of these journeys. It has been stated that the same animals were transported back and forth and we need to look at this issue more closely to ensure this practice is minimised.

Intensification of production has been a feature of the industry since 1967. Regulation has taken hold and this has focused on global free trade. There is huge competition with cheap imports and huge pressures on farming. These are changes which have to be taken into account when looking back at the time when foot and mouth disease was a problem. The Border controls are not as tight throughout continental Europe as they were at that time. There are inconsistencies in a number of EU regulations which need to be looked at because they put enormous pressure of regulation on European farmers, which is only right, for example, the blocking of the BST genetic hormone in the EU while we have allowed the BST genetic hormone from the USA. The pressures on Irish farmers are severe and the regulations have to be consistent. We should look at that as we learn lessons from this crisis. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle would be familiar with the poultry industry in his constituency. That chickens are imported from Thailand is an issue in areas of Ireland where poultry is an important industry.

Essentially the policy that has developed since 1967 and the Second World War is one of high yield at low prices. This crisis teaches us that there is no such thing as food at a low price. One pays either at the beginning or at the end. If a crisis such as this grows, prices will probably be higher than any of us could have predicted because of the way our systems are vulnerable to the spread of disease, which appears to be the case.

I agree with the IFA, and I have been involved in a number of different debates, that our food export business is to Ireland what diamonds are to South Africa or oil is to Arabia. Much of the foot and mouth disease problem is caused by imports rather than exports. We have got to take account of people such as Professor Richard Lacey who in 1988 was pilloried for suggesting that humans could catch CJD from eating meat carrying BSE. He is being direct about it when he writes in the paper to say we can attribute foot and mouth disease directly to our industrialised agriculture and food systems. He said the immediate key to it is centralised production and that we should maximise to whatever extent is economically advantageous and feasible local food and local shops. He said things may go wrong but the disease does not spread in the same way when there is more emphasis on the attitude to food than the increasing globalisation which has put many farmers out of business.

The immediate work for today is the message that this is a national disaster, an emergency, a crisis, for which 200 troops are hardly an adequate response. I agree with those who said we have to maximise our security at check-points. There have been complaints by a number of farmers along the Border that they have neither been stopped nor have they seen any sign of a crisis in the level of check-points on many of the minor roads. Those complaints have to be addressed.

There was Operation Matador some years ago. I wonder whether we can convey the level of crisis again by sending out the message that this is Operation Foot and Mouth Disease of a high profile nature. The washing of vehicles in Ireland is an idea that is foreign to many, unlike in other countries where inspectors wipe their hands underneath vehicles to check that they are clean and do not leave mud on roads. We have a little way to go in Ireland but we need that type of compliance and as yet it has not come from leadership in Government.

Many people are being blamed. Even the IFA was blamed on radio this morning by the Minister of State, Deputy Davern, for not allowing tags on sheep. The Government has the power and the leadership and should make the decisions rather than follow others who are not in power. This crisis is far worse than in 1967. According to scientists it is a more virulent foot and mouth disease outbreak. It needs to be shown to vets, food producers and the general public exactly what is meant by foot and mouth disease in terms of symptoms. The Minister mentioned unusual symptoms but as the maxim says a picture paints 1,000 words. We have not seen the demonstation pictures in newspapers and on television perhaps because of the fear of frightening people. Shock treatment is needed because that awareness is not as widespread as the Minister seems to think.

The regulation is dependent on personnel being available, the quantity of disinfectant and prosecution procedures taking their course, all of which are emergencies. I am of the view that the emergency task force is not being given adequate urgency. The Departments of the Taoiseach, Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Defence, Marine and Naatural Resources, Environment and Local Government, Public Enterprise and Education and Science have all been mentioned but the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands as the custodian of public broadcasting is where action needs to be taken as an emergency. This is the same as a declaration of war. It is as serious as that in terms of the public broadcaster, in particular RTE. RTE has so many advertisements for drink, confectioneries, toys etc., that we are bombarded by them. We have not seen graphic images and hard hitting messages about foot and mouth disease. As I mentioned on the Order of Business this morning the Wildlife (Amendment) Act would limit the cutting of hedges from 1 March but the regulations have not been introduced. I ask the Minister to ensure those regulations are implemented. The law is there but it is not being implemented.

There is a lack of public consciousness in regard to foot and mouth disease and shock treatment is needed. If one mentions Sellafield, suddenly people waken up and think of images of Chernobyl, Hiroshima and the devastation that causes.

An emergency plan which is in place in the case of a nuclear fallout is the kind of plan needed in this case. It is not about evacuating people but about restricting movement. The same level of urgency needs to apply. In Mexico and the southern states of the US there have been training programmes on foot and mouth disease outbreak in the event of it happening. Where is the actual emergency response where everybody knows his or her role and what he or she should do?

Mr. Kirk

I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate. As one would have gleaned from the newspapers it has direct relevance to my constituency in County Louth because of the proximity of Meigh to the Louth-Armagh border. We had an opportunity last evening during the question and answer session to make a number of points to the Minister on combating the problem on the ground. We should not underestimate the logistical requirements as far as tackling the problem is concerned. I listened attentively to the points made by Deputy Dukes, many of which were relevant. The matter of greatest urgency is the difficulty with the land border between the Six Counties and the Republic. Given that there has been an outbreak in close proximity to the Border and that a significant number of animals appear to have come to the south, I hope all the animals in Athleague were slaughtered.I do not know if the Department is yet in a position to confirm that the 291 imported animals have all been accounted for. It is important to be able to account for these animals from the point of view of the control measures that are in place. If a number of these animals mix with the national live sheep flock, the implications are obvious and very serious.

The Department's veterinary surgeons throughout the Border areas are doing their best and appreciate the co-operation of the local communities, particularly the farming communities. The farming organisations are being very supportive and co-operating with the efforts of the Department on the ground. However, there is a need for more Army personnel on the ground. Anyone who knows the Border area from Donegal to Omeath, County Louth, will be aware of the multiplicity of Border crossings. This provides many opportunities for livestock to be transported via small crossings, therefore, a crossing could be omitted easily from what should be blanket coverage of these roadways. There are Army barracks in Dundalk and Cavan and as many Army personnel as possible should be deployed to the Border areas to support this effort. A number of my constituents have been in contact with me on this matter. I am sure the veterinary unit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development has moved as many veterinary personnel as possible to north Louth to bolster the manpower needs in the area.

In the short time available to me, I want to make a few points. I did not hear what the Mini ster of State, Deputy Davern, said this morning about sheep tagging. I am aware that the Minister, Deputy Walsh, has been doing his best to convince farming organisations of the necessity to address this issue. Now is the time to push ahead with this issue because the identity of each animal is absolutely essential for traceability purposes and control. While a significant control structure has been put in place for cattle, a similar arrangement is not in place for sheep. It is not insignificant that the current problem has a lot to do with the movement of sheep purchased at the Carlisle market to the North and then on to Athleague in Roscommon. I do not know where other animals may have been moved but I hope the animals on the farm in Meigh have been destroyed.

There is a fairly unique marketing structure in this country whereby people involved in the cattle and sheep dealing business operate without controls at State level. The time has come to introduce a licensing system for people operating in the industry. Transporting live animals from point A to point B, from one mart to another, from a farm to a mart and back to another farm, without accountability through a licensing system, is not acceptable. While there are more urgent matters to be addressed, this issue needs to be considered very quickly.

In the Border counties, North and South, a significant number of people are operating in this area. I do not know if veterinary personnel have identified these people and asked for their co-operation in providing as much detailed information as possible in relation to their activities in recent months. This would be invaluable to the veterinary controls which are required urgently. Given the great sense of anxiety on the ground, many of these people would be willing to volunteer the information. I suggest that the Minister should establish on a confidential basis an information line in the local district veterinary office in Drogheda. That would allow people to report livestock movement which could fall into the suspicious category. The availability of this information would be absolutely invaluable to personnel of the Department.

I am worried about the mood of hysteria surrounding this debate, which is understandable in many respects. However, the Minister and his officials must step back from the hysteria and decide what are the logistical arrangements which will be effective, provide the necessary reassurance and, more importantly, combat this very serious threat. Deputies Sargent and Dukes suggested drawing a comparison with the 1967 statistics. I do not think such a comparison would be of much benefit at this point given the structural changes that have taken place in the agriculture industry both here and in the UK. The economic reality is that there have been profound changes in the intervening period in the agriculture industry as a result of the significant intensification which has taken place. The position in the industry at present is vastly different from what it was in 1967. While this comparison might be useful for statistical purposes on a week to week basis, it would be very unwise to take political decisions on that basis alone.

It goes without saying that if we do not succeed in keeping the foot and mouth epidemic out of this country the consequences will be dire – that is not an over-statement. The agriculture-food industry is worth £9 billion. Despite the developments that have taken place elsewhere in the economy over the past five to ten years, this industry is pivotal to the well-being of the economy. I put it to the Minister, Deputy Walsh, today that, regardless of what it takes, let us put the resources in place to combat this epidemic. There must be consultations on the ground and, if effective changes are needed, let us make them, because the implications of foot and mouth for this country are very dire indeed and would bode serious ill for the future of our food industry.

While I am aware that there is significant co-operation between veterinary personnel North and South, the sooner we can get one animal health veterinary regime in place on the whole island the better, as envisaged under the Good Friday Agreement and the new structures being put in place. The economic benefits of this are obvious. The best barrier of all against disease, particularly foot and mouth, are the seas around our coast. If there was a uniform harmonised veterinary regime on the whole island, the benefit to the food industry from a marketing point of view and to primary production generally would be very significant. If Bord Bia and the other agencies could say to countries around the world that we have an island nation, that we have the finest food in the world and our borders are protected by the sea, we would be able to command a premium price for our produce in the marketplace.

Mr. Naughten

I thank you, Sir, for allowing this issue to be addressed in the House today. This is the biggest threatened economic crisis to hit Ireland in living memory. Foot and mouth disease has major implications, not only for farmers but for the food industry, its employees, road hauliers, exporters and the economy as a whole. The food industry in Ireland is more dependent on exports than in any other state within the EU. We export over £5 billion worth of food every year, which equates to nine out of ten cattle, or three quarters of every gallon of milk produced. The sheepmeat sector is the most dependent on exports. There are 130,000 farmers in the country and 200,000 are employed within the agri-business industry.

Sadly I am the Member of the House at the epicentre of the current concern regarding this disease. The sheep involved were purchased in Carlisle and shipped to Northern Ireland for slaughter. The Scottish authorities certified that 291 sheep were transported to Northern Ireland where Department of Agriculture officials claimed that 271 sheep arrived at the port. This was estimated by weighing the lorry. Some 21 sheep were destroyed in south County Armagh yesterday. In all probability they had foot and mouth disease. A further 248 were slaughtered at the Kepak plant in Athleague, County Roscommon. Transport and ownership of the sheep is currently under investigation and I wish the Department every success with that. The Minister informed me that two other sheep involved in this consignment had died. This brings the total to 271, the figure the Northern Ireland authorities estimate arrived at port. There still remains a discrepancy between the Scottish permit of 291 and the Northern Ireland figure of 271. What action is the Department taking to resolve this? Twenty sheep are unaccounted for. In all probability they have, or are carrying, foot and mouth disease.

What route did the transport of the sheep take from Northern Ireland? Why is the driver involved gone missing? Why were the sheep booked into the Kepak plant in the name of another farmer? Where were the sheep between the time they entered Northern Ireland and slaughtered at the plant? Anyone implicated in this issue should be dealt with severely by the full rigour of the law for facilitating the import and slaughter of these animals. It must be acknowledged we are fortunate to the extent that 248 sheep were slaughtered, because had they been distributed among the flock herds south of the Border the impact would have been catastrophic. The Minister said that the sheep appear to have been illegally imported into Ireland. It is difficult for him to be any more definitive because a court case may be pending.

When I questioned the Minister in the House yesterday as to when the Department was informed that the farm in south County Armagh was under suspicion he replied: "That happened a day or so after the ban was imposed – the ban was imposed last Wednesday after which it was placed under surveillance." Why has it taken a week for an exclusion zone to be imposed on the southern side of the Border?

There is currently an eight mile exclusion zone around the farm in south County Armagh. However, Mr. P. J. Quinn, Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology at UCD, has stated that there must be an absolute embargo on the movement of all animals within a 29 kilometre radius of the outbreak. Will the exclusion zone be extended because the outbreak has been confirmed? What measures have been put in place to extend it?

Deputy Dukes told the Minster that we must treat the present situation as if foot and mouth disease is already in Ireland. What measures are being taken on the farms in County Roscommon and east County Galway? While the threat is remote, there is a possibility that the disease has taken hold. What measure have been taken to restrict the movement of people and animals in both these counties? Are the bridges over the River Shannon and the River Suck being policed to ensure there is no movement? Are additional resources being given to the Army or the gardaí to ensure that no movement is taking place in the areas specified by the Department? A fortnight ago the Garda Síochána used resources at its disposal to mount checkpoints throughout Connacht. Similar steps should be taken immediately in the designated areas.

There are 299 Border crossings, which are manned by 600 Garda and Army personnel. The Minister should ensure that every person available to the Garda and the Army, no matter where they are located in the country, should be asked to man the Border crossings. Not even God would be able to block sheep being moved south of the Border if, after confirmation of this case in Northern Ireland, a ban is imposed on exports of livestock and carcases. Economic realities dictate that sheep will be brought across the Border for slaughter. Greedy individuals will use such a ban to exploit the system and Irish farming. It is fundamentally important that proper policing measures are put in place along the Border to ensure its integrity is maintained.

Yesterday every road in and out of Cornwall were covered with disinfectant mats because the farmers are so concerned about an outbreak of the disease. We should consider similar measures in this country. They should initially be laid along the Border crossings and around the suspected areas in Counties Wexford, Kerry, Roscommon and east Galway. I urge the Minister to ensure that is done.

What measures have been taken to deal with milk collections and to ensure that milk collection lorries are disinfected? A number of parents have expressed concern about schools. Should they be closed or restricted? What is being done in this area? Deputy Penrose expressed concern about mass attendance over the weekend.

Naturally, there is much concern in County Roscommon about the latest developments. The Department must issue instructions specific to the area under investigation. They should be announced on the local radio this afternoon, not tomorrow. I know the Garda has received numerous queries in relation to this concern.

On the shipment of these sheep across the Border, as the Minister said, the Garda and the RUC are involved. It is obvious that it is a case of fraud. The Minister has the full support of this House in applying the full rigours of the law and in ensuring strict measures are taken.

Dr. Upton

I appreciate the fact the Minister is here today and has facilitated this debate. I also acknowledge the very hard work and commitment of Department officials in the last week or two because I have no doubt it has been very traumatic and difficult for them as well. I also recognise the fact that voluntary organisations have been very supportive and on side. It is important that these facts are recognised and acknowledged here.

Foot and mouth disease is a most contagious and devastating animal disease. We now know that it is on this island and we have to accept the fact the virus is here and that we are in a crisis. I know it has been said many times already but it bears repeating that the foot and mouth virus is of no significance to the food chain in terms of food safety or public health. That is based on the best scientific knowledge on that at present and it should be repeated over and over again. Unfortunately, I continue to get queries about this and I am asked about the significance. We may have failed to transmit that message effectively.

This is a most devastating animal disease and the economy of this country will be wrecked if foot and mouth gets a hold here. The first victims will be the farming community and the food industry but the casualties will be much wider than that. That is something of which we have to take account. Deputy Kirk mentioned that there was an air of hysteria in relation to foot and mouth disease but I must disagree with him on that. To some extent, the opposite is the case. In certain quarters, there has been an air of complacency. For instance, the fact people are still considering going to Wales, although the rugby match has been cancelled, and continue to have such a mindset does not smack of hysteria but of total complacency. We have failed to get through to these people that there is a very significant economic issue at stake here and that any movement that is non-essential should be curtailed.

I mentioned yesterday that the virus affects all cloven hoofed animals but it also affects vermin – rats and hedgehogs. I mention this in the context of vermin, no more than the virus, having no respect for borders. I would like the Minister to take some account of how that issue might be addressed and whether it is considered to be of any significance. The rat population in this country has increased quite significantly. How does one contain that? What does one put in place to even look at that issue which is very important?

The incident in Roscommon raises very serious questions about traceability. This has been mentioned by practically everybody who spoke. Last week I was concerned about the traceability of food in relation to BSE but today the implications of the lack of traceability of animals has surely been brought home to us all in terms of the economy of this country.

There is a certain air of confusion and, to some extent, a lack of clarity about the measures which have been put in place. Up to this morning, having listened to the news headlines and the chat shows, reports that were quite worrying continued to come in. I know the Minister has addressed some of these but I still think there is an air of complacency in relation to airports and ports and the actions that are being taken. These are the only check-points we have in terms of the import of the virus into the country. We need to look very carefully at the operational procedures that are in place.

I mentioned earlier this week that the disinfection programme was largely cosmetic. There is a very real difficulty in providing an effective disinfection programme. Matters such as the presence of organic matter, soil, for example, and vegetable material, will simply mop up the disinfectant and render it inactive. The fine detail of how the disinfectant is applied and the renewal of the disinfectant on a regular basis is absolutely essential if the disinfection programme is to be anything more than a cosmetic exercise. I emphasise again that we cannot take it for granted that the disinfection procedure is working. We have to look at the implications of the residue of organic material on tyres, clothing and materials. This will simply mop up the disinfectant and render it ineffective.

Earlier this week I asked about the training programmes in place for vets, farmers and for the personnel operating at the various Border posts, the airports and the ports. No farmer would ever have seen a case of foot and mouth disease and only a very limited number of veterinarians would have. We need to be very proactive in keeping them informed and up to speed in relation to all the developments.

We are in the middle of a crisis and are developing an emergency plan as we go along. I do not think this should have been the case. We have in place a national emergency plan in the event of a nuclear accident, for instance. The probability of serious outbreak of an animal disease was always much greater than the risk of a nuclear accident so I do not think it is being very proactive to say that we are now effectively putting in place an emergency plan on a daily basis. There are various models available. One will find a model that is available in Canada on the Internet. Canada does not have foot and mouth disease but it has an emergency plan in the event of the disease occurring there. There is an important lesson to be learned from this, that is, that we need to plan for the unlikely and the unexpected.

A number of Members mentioned the need for the licensing of farmers. I emphasise that the licence to practise one's profession is the norm in most professions. We should now stringently apply this to the farming profession as well. We have to have in place a system where we can remove the right to practise one's profession – the right to remove a licence if that should arise. This is the only effective way we will be able to impose controls. Financial penalties have had little or no effect in the past. The removal of the right to practise one's profession is the ultimate sanction.

I would like the Minister to spell out the details of the contingency plan. It is clear that the disease has reached epidemic proportions in the UK. Again, it raises the need for expertise in epidemiology in this country. What kind of emergency plan is in place and what are the epidemiological implications of the outbreak and spread of the disease in the country? Who will co-ordinate the plan and put it in place? Who will be in charge of the operational day to day procedures if we have an outbreak?