Foot and Mouth Disease: Statements.

The Taoiseach

Everybody in this House knows agriculture is at the heart of much of the social, cultural and economic life of our country. As a result of that, we must always treat very seriously every possible threat to its vitality. That is the approach of this Government and has been the approach of all previous Governments. It is only very recently we discussed the unprecedented measures we had to introduce to address the BSE issue. We thought at that stage we knew what was a serious crisis in agriculture and food.

However, for the past ten days we have been addressing a crisis that carries with it a "once in a generation" threat. The potential impact of foot and mouth disease on our agriculture and food industries would be on a scale few of us could imagine. This unprecedented threat has required unprecedented action, and that is what has been taken.

From the first moment we were alerted to the risk of foot and mouth disease, we have taken aggressive action to establish if it is here and to keep it out if it is not. We have worked on the basis of a number of simple principles: provide every resource required; take every action necessary; and respond quickly.

Over the past week, I and the key Ministers involved have received regular briefings on all emerging concerns. Daily action meetings have been held from the time of the first notification of threat of the disease. Officials of my Department have been fully involved. The Cabinet has discussed the issue on a number of occasions, including two specially convened meetings. In addition, daily cross agency meetings are being held, chaired by me or the Minister for Agri culture, Food and Rural Development and with appropriate Ministers and officials present. This crisis has had my full attention and that of the entire Cabinet at all stages.

In each of the key moves taken over the past ten days, action here has preceded that in other countries. As we are all aware, the EU imposed a ban on exports from the UK with effect from 21 February, but we had already acted to prevent imports to the country of susceptible animals and relevant products. The ban on imports has since been extended to horses and greyhounds from Britain.

Arrangements were made with the Garda and the Army to send the necessary forces to the Border immediately and Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development staff at entry points to the country were put on alert. Prior to confirmation of the outbreak in Northern Ireland, these measures were strengthened and a massive security operation was put in place.

There are now more than 750 gardaí on Border duty and almost 200 gardaí are working on this issue at ports and airports. In addition to the 200 Army personnel who have already moved to the Border, the Minister for Defence has arranged that all necessary permanent and part-time members of the Defence Forces will be made available.

While the complete sealing of 253 miles of the Border is obviously not possible, the advice of the Garda is that coverage is required on 141 roads to effectively monitor all cross Border traffic. The security authorities have confirmed to me that each of these 141 roads is being manned.

We have monitored all imports of sheep from Britain from three weeks before its first confirmed case. I will return to recent developments later. Even though the tests undertaken have been negative so far, reasonable caution requires that these animals should be slaughtered. This is being done. France, Germany and Spain are also engaging in such slaughtering programmes.

A nation-wide ban on livestock marts has been implemented and on Wednesday last a ban was introduced on the movement of all relevant livestock within the country other than those going directly to slaughter. Arrangements were put in place to ensure that people and vehicles were disinfected and these are being enhanced on an ongoing basis.

At a special Cabinet meeting last night, a number of additional measures were agreed: every public office has been instructed to install a disinfectant system; all avoidable farm visits by State agencies are to be cancelled; all non-essential gatherings of large groups of people are to be cancelled; and from next week postal deliveries will be made only to farms where there is a disinfectant mat.

A widespread information campaign has been undertaken through the media and through direct contact with farmers, industry and other interested groups and individuals. I acknowledge the essential help of various parts of the media in distributing important factual information to the public. Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development staff have manned help lines throughout the week and Department offices will remain open through this coming weekend to provide advice.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is distributing advice leaflets to farmers throughout the country and this information is being made available to the widest possible number of people and organisations. Teagasc is also assisting by making advice available to farmers.

The House should be aware of the huge logistical task undertaken by the various agencies involved. We have had no direct experience of this disease over the past six decades, nor have we been threatened directly with it for more than three decades. In spite of this, a wide range of agencies have reacted swiftly and on a major scale and we have reacted as if the disease was already present. Comparison has been made with the threat in 1967. I have been informed that the current controls surpass those in place at that time in regard to their scale and speed of implementation.

More than 1,000 security personnel have been active in enforcing measures in the Border region alone. I pay tribute to the two gardaí who were injured in the course of carrying out their duties on this matter and wish them well.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development has applied every available person who could be pulled from tasks to help with the effort. This has involved up to 800 people. For a Department which was already handling an emergency scheme, its response has been very impressive. I pay tribute to everybody in the Department who is involved. I and my colleagues very much appreciate their professionalism and commitment.

The control of livestock movements is obviously the most important element of the effort and it addresses the most significant potential cause of infection. However, we have been very conscious of the fact that there are many other ways in which the infection could spread. As a result of this, many other measures have been required which have inconvenienced, and will severely inconvenience, large numbers of people.

The various Irish sporting organisations, which responded to discussions with Ministers by cancelling or postponing events, have acted in an extremely responsible manner. Indeed, they have shown a lead to sporting organisations in other countries. Yesterday's decision by the Racehorse Trainers Association regarding Cheltenham was also the responsible decision to make.

Reference has been made to the movement of animals around the country and the role of dealers. There are controls on movement and, in particular, there is legislation in place to regulate dealers. This legislation is in the process of being updated, but we need to revisit this aspect in the light of recent developments. We will continue to do whatever needs to be done in this context.

The State services will continue to provide advice and information to farmers and others to ensure the most effective action possible by everyone. Anyone who is in doubt about any issue, and especially anyone who has any concerns or suspicions about the movement or health of animals, should contact their local Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development office immediately. There is absolutely no room for complacency or misplaced local or family loyalties in this matter.

It is also important for me to say that, as great as the threat from this disease is, it has no serious implications for human health. With all the attention understandably focusing on this issue, some people may harbour concerns on this matter. I am advised that very occasionally people can get mild respiratory symptoms from contact with infected animals but people cannot become infected by eating meat from such animals.

We must all make a few things very clear. As of now, there have been no confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease in this jurisdiction and there have been no cases with the clinical signs of foot and mouth disease identified in this jurisdiction. Similarly, we have no evidence available to us of movements of animals in breach of the controls we introduced on 21 February.

A movement of sheep on to a farm in County Louth is currently under investigation. Last night the authorities here became aware of this movement of sheep from Northern Ireland and, therefore, the full details are not yet available. As in the other cases of post 1 February movements from Great Britain or Northern Ireland, gardaí and departmental officials moved on to the farm during the night and a number of sheep have been slaughtered. A meat plant in County Kildare which may have received sheep from the farm has been closed. Every possible action and precaution will be taken in this case.

Clearly the introduction of the Single Market increased the possibility of movement and the risk of disease. The Single Market is one thing, but racketeering and illegal movement are a different issue. The situation is complicated by the fact that there has always been free movement of sheep between ourselves and Northern Ireland. As such, movement of sheep prior to the introduction of controls cannot, of itself, be viewed as suspicious.

Since details of the Athleague case emerged, it has not always been emphasised by commentators that the illegal importation took place on the day before the introduction of our control measures. I discussed the matter of such illegal importations with the Garda and officials of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and they stressed that they treat these cases as fraud and organised crime and that they work to deal firmly with those involved on an ongoing basis. I appeal to members of the pub lic to report to the authorities any similarly suspicious movements of animals and I assure them that these reports will be dealt with on a confidential basis. Huge efforts are being made by people all over the country to fight the threat of this disease, and actions that undermine this will not be tolerated.

One lesson which we should take from the past two days, and from the evidence to date, is that we must be very careful that we do not talk ourselves into an immediate problem with our trading partners. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and our diplomats throughout the world have been working energetically to ensure that other countries know that there have been no confirmed cases in this jurisdiction. There are few things which could be more unhelpful to their work, and more dangerous to this trade and the livelihoods of those who depend on it, than careless descriptions of the facts to date. Everybody should realise that we live in a highly competitive environment. The world is paying attention and we must all act responsibly.

For all of us in this House, we must continue to work on a non-partisan basis, and I thank the House for having done so. We cannot use such a serious matter as material for the everyday cut and thrust of adversarial politics.

I thank Deputy Noonan for the position he adopted here yesterday on my address to the Welsh Assembly. For many years the people of Wales have sought a form of self-governance – it is something they cherish and their pride in the Assembly was very evident yesterday on their national day. The visit allowed me the opportunity to discuss in detail the outbreak of foot and mouth disease with the Welsh Agriculture Secretary, following from my discussions with Prime Minister Blair the previous evening.

The Minister, Deputy Walsh, and the Minister of State, Deputy Davern, have been in the House for four days in a row, for a total of eight hours' debate and questions on this issue. They and their officials have worked incredibly hard to keep the House informed of developments and to respond to points raised by Deputies. They have all been under considerable pressure to carry out the many functions of proposing measures, overseeing an unprecedented control and monitoring exercise, disseminating public information and servicing the needs of the Oireachtas. I appreciate their work very much.

As I have said, the Government has been striving to put in place stringent and effective controls. At most stages of the process, we have implemented restrictions before Britain, which actually has confirmed cases, or other European countries. We see this as an emergency and have been acting accordingly, but no one can let their guard down. Any extra measures which may be required will be implemented and any extra resources which may be required will be provided.

I appeal again to people to heed the advice being given by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. I stress that this is advice aimed at everyone, not only farmers. We can all contribute to the fight against this disease by doing nothing which could increase the threat of infection.

The extent and nature of the actions which we have implemented are fully justified by the importance of the agri-food industry to this country. The agri-food sector accounts for 10% of GDP, 11% of employment and 27% of net earnings from trade. Far more importantly, however, farming and food are the bedrock of our rural communities. Anything that threatens that industry, as foot and mouth disease does, is a threat to a large section of Irish society – it threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands of families who earn their living either directly or indirectly from farming and the food industry. For this reason we must continue to address this threat with absolute determination and vigilance.

I thank the public for their co-operation and forbearance and ask them to continue to co-operate with the extra precautions. This is a national emergency with livelihoods and prosperity at stake for many people and, by extension, for the whole country.

Mr. Noonan

I wish to share time with Deputy Farrelly.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Mr. Noonan

The enormous threat posed by foot and mouth disease to the economy places a responsibility on all of us to take precautions. A confirmed outbreak on this side of the Border would have catastrophic implications for the entire food industry and cause damage to exports which could take years to repair.

The confirmation yesterday of a case in south Armagh greatly increases the risk of an outbreak here, but it is important to state that there has been no outbreak in this jurisdiction. The geographical spread of the 32 confirmed cases throughout Britain indicates that the outbreak there is moving towards epidemic proportions.

Fine Gael will support all measures announced by the Government to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease to the Republic. We will, however, continue to scrutinise the Government's actions and hold it accountable to the Dáil. Fine Gael believes that there is a yawning gap between the regulatory announcements being made by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the Minister of State and the follow-up actions on the ground.

The response in Britain to this catastrophe has been slow and questions arise as to when the British authorities first began to examine the possibility that there was foot and mouth disease on certain farms. In Ireland, the response earlier this week was languid and lethargic. It has improved since and I hope the measures now being put in place will be effective.

Over the past few days, however, we have heard story after story from people who have entered this country from Britain whose attempts to act responsibly by making themselves known to the authorities have fallen on deaf ears. We learned about the group of British politicians who went through Cork Airport on their way to Killarney without being checked. A young woman travelling home from an English agricultural college, which had been closed because of foot and mouth disease, was allowed to travel to her family farm in Limerick after officials in Dún Laoghaire noted her name and address.

The laid-back approach of the Government is in sharp contrast to the truly patriotic response of many sporting, cultural and voluntary organisations which have cancelled virtually all their planned activities. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to these organisations for putting the national interest first. No doubt their initiative will help to prevent foot and mouth disease taking hold in this country.

The most worrying aspect of the confirmation of the case in south Armagh is that it appears that many sheep from the same herd where sent to the Kepak plant in Athleague for slaughter under the pretence that they were the property of a local farmer. This raises the appalling prospect that infected animals were transported into this jurisdiction. The meat in question was exported to France and this is probably the reason the French authorities will today ban the import of Irish animals.

Earlier this week the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development appealed to race-goers not to go to Cheltenham. He got a supportive response and the racing industry has agreed that horses will not go to Cheltenham. The conventional wisdom has been that while horses may not get foot and mouth disease they may be carriers. Yet, when this point was put to the spokesperson for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the assistant chief veterinary officer at the Department, on "Morning Ireland" this morning, he flatly denied that horses could carry the virus. I was surprised at how categoric he was and asked somebody to check the Department's website. Since the website was not clear on the issue, the person phoned the Department's help-line. The young woman on the phone said horses were not carriers and when pressed she checked with the veterinary officer on stand-by who gave categoric assurances, through the person on the help-line, that horses were carriers and that the action taken by the Minister in banning their movement was eliminating a serious risk.

These kinds of muddled messages from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and his Department are reducing confidence. The lack of clear information for farmers – I have seen the advertisements in today's newspapers – the failure to notify district veterinary officers in Border counties during the early days of the outbreak, the lack of instruction to the Garda, the stories of scarcity of disinfectant and the general feeling of inefficiency are sapping confidence.

The Taoiseach must take control of the issue and I am glad to see him back in the House. I pledge the support of my party for all reasonable measures. If the virus moves southwards it will have an appalling consequence, not only for farming families but also for the tens of thousands of people employed in the food industry and the wider economy. If there are outbreaks of the disease in this jurisdiction consumer confidence will weaken. If confidence goes then we will face a difficult situation and much of the good work which has been done in the economy over the past seven years will be reversed.

I am surprised that the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development did not have an emergency plan to deal with this possibility. Those of us who have served on local authorities know that there are local emergency and regional plans in the event of a serious rail crash, road accident or an aeroplane crash. We presume that there are emergency plans in place if, for example, there is a blow-out at Sellafield. This is the agricultural equivalent of a Sellafield blow-out and I am surprised that the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development was not ready to take action.

I compliment the Garda, Army and officials in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, both centrally and throughout the country, who have worked late into the night and far beyond their job description and responsibility in the national interest to combat the threat. In particular, I wish to be associated with the Taoiseach's tribute to the two gardaí who were injured in carrying out their duties in this respect.

I wish to raise a number of issue with which I would like the Minister to deal during the question and answer session. If an outbreak occurs, what will be the position – the Tánaiste may inform him – in regard to the provision of fresh meat to consumers? Thirty-four years ago fresh meat was available in every parish because at the back of every butcher's shop there was a small abattoir for the killing and preparation of animals which were provided locally within a mile of the butcher's shop. The situation has changed and meat is now supplied from central abattoirs which frequently are 100 miles away from the local village butcher. This question has, in prudence, to be dealt with by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment who has responsibility for consumer issues. I ask the Minister to give more information about the movement of sheep on the Louth farm and the connection between this and the factory in Kildare. Obviously it is an important issue.

It seems that people are seriously concerned about the safety of food. There seems to be little confidence either in Ireland or across Europe in food which is produced in large factory farms. Herbivores should not be fed meat. We have seen the difficulty in respect of mad cow disease. It looks as if the source of this infection has come from international airlines' swill in the north of England being fed to pigs, an infection introduced through the feeding of meat to herbivores. This should not happen and it does not happen on family farms. Rather it is happening in industrialised factory farms whose mandate is to produce the greatest quantity of food possible at the lowest possible cost. I ask the Taoiseach to raise this issue at European level and to restore the production of food for the citizens of the European Union to the family farmers of Europe, particularly those in Ireland.

Mr. Farrelly

I welcome the opportunity to comment on the outbreak of this dreadful disease which hopefully will not come to this State. We are aware of the serious work carried out during the past week or ten days, but I was appalled last night to hear the comments on an RTE programme in relation to inspections of the ring of steel which was supposed to be put around the Border and the infected farm. Why did it take the Government so long to ensure that only 200 Army personnel were made available to police Border crossings to protect the State from this infectious disease? Two days ago I was informed that in 1941 within four miles of every four cross-roads Army personnel stopped people moving from one side of a parish to another. I was disappointed to learn that sufficient manpower was not made available by the Government until after its second or third meeting on this issue.

I want to raise some issues with which I hope the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development will deal. The first relates to the animals from Armagh which were sold at a mart in County Louth last Monday two weeks. Have those animals been found and what farm did they go to? I presume these are the same animals which the Taoiseach said were being investigated. What effort has the Minister for the Environment and Local Government made in response to my request two days ago to ensure that local authorities made proper disinfectant mats available at all places where people congregate, for example, tax offices and other local authority offices? I have not had the opportunity to visit Navan to find out what measures have been put in place.

Did the veterinary inspectors employed by the State to protect its animals carry out ante-mortem inspections of the animals prior to their slaughter in Athleague? If so, why were they allowed to be slaughtered, taking into account that the tags had been removed from them? Animals imported from England are normally tagged. How could veterinary inspectors stamp this meat as being of Irish origin following the slaughter? It is an indictment of all of us and the Department if its officials allowed such practices to take place. It also shows that this type of practice has been taking place over the past number of years and that nobody in the Department has taken notice of the efforts made following the beef tribunal. They have put this country at risk by not standing up and being counted on this issue. What action has been taken to deal with people who have turned a blind eye to the animals being slaughtered in plants in this part of the country?

Mr. Quinn

For more than a week, my party has been looking for a dynamic and concerted response to this crisis. The signs are that only in the last 24 hours is that type of response beginning to take place. The confirmation of a positive testing for foot and mouth disease at a farm in South Armagh has finally woken up the Government. As the exchanges last night on "Prime Time" confirmed, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done if we are to contain the disease which may not yet be in this country but which is an enormous threat.

This is not a time for party politics but neither is it a time to be silent. It is difficult to disagree with what Deputy O'Malley said here yesterday which is that what we have seen so far in response to this crisis has been a case of regulatory failure. It is clear that, despite our dependence on agri-business, no substantial action plan was in place to deal with an outbreak of this disease. The yawning gulf between what is supposed to be the position and what is actually the position is proof of that. Even as late as yesterday, the number of gardaí and soldiers on the Border was pitifully inadequate. I welcome the Taoiseach's statement that personnel are on their way but I wonder why we had to wait this long and whether even these numbers are adequate.

I listened last night to the Minister of State, Deputy Davern, talk about newspaper advertisements this weekend, which I welcome. I notice the difference in prominence between today's advertisements and those that appeared last weekend. I will illustrate that for Members.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

It is not in order to display newspaper clippings in this House.

Mr. Quinn

One would not know what the advertisement is. It could be an invitation to tender for material as distinct from what is in today's newspapers. That was the position last Sunday, this is the position today. I welcome the improvement but I must say it is very late. These advertisements should have been running all week as well as at the weekend. I am talking about the current advertisements, not what was in the newspapers last Sunday.

The Taoiseach should have taken the opportunity to address the nation. This is not just an agricultural problem, this is a national crisis. It is all very well to talk about the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development website but where has been the massive campaign to direct people to it? That is the real difference between being pro-active and reactive. The establishment of five help lines in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development while the same Department did not even have proper disinfectant procedures in place is not the hallmark of a pro-active campaign. There is a consensus emerging about how we have responded to this crisis which was articulated last night by Professor Quinn on "Prime Time". That analysis is that we have been far too slow to react.

The Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development are correct to repeat that there is yet to be a positive case or even signs of symptoms in this State, but neither is it a point that should be over-stated. An outbreak of foot and mouth disease two miles from our Border and the extension of the control zone means we should act as if the scourge is here. As we all know, this disease does not respect national political boundaries. To describe newspaper headlines, however exaggerated, as treasonous, as the Minister, Deputy Walsh, did here yesterday, is a mistake. These headlines, unlike the advertisements, at least conveyed the sense of national crisis which has not been properly communicated to all our people by the Government during the course of this week.

The Government must face a number of realities, including that there continues to be, and has been all week, a gulf of difference between assurances given to this House and what has been happening throughout the country. Let me digress for a moment. I am not holding responsible, as such, individual Ministers for taking at face value what they have been told is happening on the ground. However, if we have learned anything as politicians over the past ten years, it is that sometimes the assurances from various State agencies and people working on our behalf falls far short of the reality. Therefore, we can no longer assume that because agency X or agency Y, region B or region C, have given information to the relevant section of the Department, the Minister has been given the information in good faith by the official in the Department in Dublin and he has communicated that information in good faith to this House, that it is necessarily fact. Our recent collective political experience on either side of this House has been that frequently we have not been told the full truth and that there have been gaps in what was actually desired or directed to happen. Therefore, I am asking that the anecdotal evidence from this side of the House be listened to. As recently as last night, Taoiseach, a daughter of one of the members of my parliamentary party flew from Manchester to this country and was not confronted with any of the safeguards or requirements we are being told are being put in place. We are not coming here to taunt the Government or to try to prove it is not doing its job. We are simply saying the job it is directing to have done in some cases is not being done or monitored in a full and comprehensive way. We would be derelict in our duty if we did not convey this information to the Government. I am sure the Department officials are listening to the talk shows not just on national radio, but on local community radio throughout the country. I took part yesterday in a radio programme for Kilkenny Radio and throughout the programme people were saying that things were not happening. This House must convey what is actually happening on the ground. Information should be double checked because what people are being told does not necessarily tally all of the time in all of the places with what the Government has directed.

The Government must face a number of realities, including the one I have just addressed. I will list what I believe should happen. First, the Border with Northern Ireland has been porous all week and, from some reports, this continues to be the case. I know that to be the case not just from listening to local and national radio bulletins, but from colleagues who have been in the area. I suggest the response by the rainbow Government to the BSE crisis in 1996 was far more convincing than this Government's response to foot and mouth disease, despite the comparative virulence of foot and mouth disease. Second, we have known that controls and information at our airports and ports have been totally inadequate. I have spoken to people who have travelled back from England in the last week. They confirmed that no special efforts were made to inform them of their obligations. A full week after we were put on notice, yesterday's newspapers continued to report inadequate arrangements for disinfection and high levels of ignorance among passengers. This simply is not good enough.

I have stressed the importance of imparting information to the public and farmers, which is critical. All this week the Government has exhorted people to be responsible and to consider the national interest. However, there has not been enough effort to explain precisely what it is people must do. Farmers organisations remain concerned that farmers are not adequately equipped to recognise this disease. All week in this House the issue has been fronted by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development or, in his absence, by the Minister of State at his Department. I acknowledge and respect what the Taoiseach has said in relation to the amount of time both people have contributed to this House. I suggest to the Government that this has been an error. As Deputy Penrose told the House yesterday, this is not exclusively an agricultural problem. It requires an effort from us all. It is truly a national crisis and it requires national leadership. Only one man, the Taoiseach, can assert the appropriate level of authority in these circumstances. Deputy Noonan said yesterday that he understood why the Taoiseach travelled to Wales this week. I do not share that understanding, even though I did not under-estimate the dilemma facing him. The Taoiseach made a serious error of judgment. The National Assembly could have been addressed another time. Of all people, the Welsh people would have understood. The Taoiseach was right to be concerned about cancelling his visit at a late stage and the message that might have sent to Wales, but he did not give enough consideration to the message he sent out at home. Some travellers who paid to attend a sporting event in Wales cannot have their money refunded. They will perhaps use the Taoiseach's action to justify their own.

Each and every citizen has a role to play and a duty to fulfil if we are to be successful. It is incumbent on all employers to allow part-time farmers working in their businesses the necessary time off to complete the checking of their animals as recommended by the IFA. We do not have time for fatalism as that could turn a small outbreak into a larger one. If the disease occurs in the State it will have to be contained. A possible outbreak in County Armagh does not mean that Munster is in any way less threatened than Ulster. We should not allow our minds to focus exclusively on that situation. The possibility of importing the disease from the UK to any port or airport in the country remains high.

There is no room for complacency. People should be wary of making comparisons with what is taking place in Britain. The scale of the catastrophe facing both countries is not comparable because of the relative importance of the agri-business sector to our economy and society, especially in rural Ireland. Now is the time for concerted and determined action. My party will give full support to the Government in this national effort. We will take any action and support any necessary measures until the threat is defeated, but we will do our duty and hold the Government to account.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Dr. McDaid)

The possibility of foot and mouth disease spreading to this country threatens our economic security and the livelihoods not just of our farmers and the agricultural food sector, but potentially virtually every citizen. Agriculture and livestock are of such vital importance to the whole economy that we have been thorough in our efforts to ensure this plague does not spread with disastrous consequences. There is a responsibility on us all to take every precaution to prevent the spread of this scourge.

Tourism employs over 150,000 people and brings over £3 billion to the economy. It is very important that every step is taken to ensure that the risk of foot and mouth disease does not jeopardise this industry or the agriculture industry. As Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation I have taken the following initiatives to reduce the dangers of the disease spreading. I have asked Bord Fáilte to urge all carriers between the two islands to increase their vigilance and to assist with any further strengthening of protective measures, such as disinfectant programmes, at embarkation and disembarkation. However, there is a very low risk of the disease being car ried by people. It is susceptible to and can be controlled by using disinfectant.

My colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, has already called for the cancellation of parades throughout the country planned for St. Patrick's Day. I support that call. As the situation developed I was in contact with the chairperson of the St. Patrick's Festival Company, Senator Quinn. The board of the company met yesterday evening and decided in light of the serious situation for the country, to postpone the St. Patrick's Day Festival, including the parade. The company will also be considering, in the absence of a normal parade, how best it might mark the national day without jeopardising the protective stance against the spread of the disease. I appreciate the disappointment this must mean for all those committed organisations and individuals. Where the Dublin parade is concerned, the intention is that when the danger has passed, a similar festival event could be organised in the early summer.

In response to the call by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development for the cancellation of all hunting, fishing, hillside walking etc., Bord Fáilte has suspended for the time being the promotion of holidays based on such activities in the British market. It is reviewing on a case by case basis promotions in all other markets.

In response to the crisis the Irish Hotels Federation and the Restaurants Association of Ireland have agreed to my request to ask their members to take preventative measures by placing disinfectant mats, etc., at all of their entrances. Also at my request, the Irish Sports Council has written to all of the national governing bodies of sport asking them to examine, as a matter of urgency, all upcoming events and competitions and to consider any actions necessary to protect the country against the spread of the disease.

Already many sporting organisations have confirmed that they will be cancelling events and I welcome these decisions. I especially welcome the early decision by the IRFU to postpone the Six Nations rugby match against Wales, scheduled for next Saturday. I believe all Irish supporters and our Welsh neighbours will understand the reason for this decision. In addition, I am grateful to the IRFU for its decision not to proceed with any all-Ireland league matches this weekend. I also compliment the GAA on its decision to postpone all inter-county fixtures scheduled for this weekend and the ladies' GAA who, at an early stage, cancelled their annual conference scheduled to be held in Cavan this weekend. The FAI has also generously cancelled its fixtures.

The Irish Sports Council is in contact with the Golfing Union of Ireland to see how best it can ensure that the necessary precautions are taken to prevent the spread of the disease. I note the union has cancelled many of its events where groups would have come together. I urge golf clubs who allow sheep and other animals to graze on their courses to be especially vigilant at this time. It is imperative that all clubs make thorough disinfection arrangements and that all their members take care to abide by them. I am confident the golfing community will not be found wanting and will wholeheartedly support these protective measures in the national interest.

In addition to the four sporting organisations to which I have referred, many others have cancelled events and I commend them all for their civic minded responses in this emergency. Sport is playing its part. The words "silence" and "eloquence" might appear contradictory, but our silent and empty stadia and sports grounds this weekend are an eloquent testament to good citizenship and responsibility.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Davern)

We are all aware of the crisis facing the nation. When value added and other factors are taken into consideration, over 40,000 are employed in the agri-food industry. We have taken the right measures to address the crisis. The importation of the disease to County Armagh was some time in early February, before the date of the declaration. That is an important issue which we must consider. The inspection today by a County Louth farmer is in respect of an issue that arose before the notification of dates. No other animals have been transported since.

As with what happened at Athleague, dealers appear to be in the middle of what has happened in County Louth. This must be stamped out. If we want to guarantee traceability in the food chain we must eliminate these practices. These people are irresponsible and have no respect. There will be criminal charges and I hope all the people concerned will be brought back to this jurisdiction to ensure they answer before the law.

It is not possible to eliminate all aspects of risk. Now that the disease is in Northern Ireland, it is vital that we in this Republic take all necessary action, be it west County Cork, south County Kerry, County Louth or elsewhere. Every farmer must consider his own farm to be a fortress. Nobody should visit it. The milk lorries should not visit unless there is adequate protection. The postman can leave the post at the local post office or shop. All these are contingency plans. When farmers socialise at night some enter pubs without changing their clothes or wellingtons. I am today asking all pubs to ensure they have disinfectant dips for shoes or wellingtons and that disinfectant mats be provided. They must play their part because of the danger of a person picking up a piece of clay and bringing it back to a farm.

It is a national emergency and I am grateful to the Opposition for its response. We can all help by emphasising how dangerous this is and how volatile the situation is at present. The situation in 1941 was different. We had a national emergency during World War II. There was less traffic and fewer animals but there was more discipline among people. Now is the time for the farming community to up the barriers and to make sure their farms do not get this in so far as they can prevent it. However, if this disease comes in, it will be a matter of containment – we must make sure it is contained within an area.

I thank the officials who have worked extremely hard in recent days. They have worked long hours and late into the night and started again at 6.30 a.m. It has been extremely difficult. I respect the criticism by the Opposition and we have checked out a great deal of it. I heard it said this morning that Dublin Airport did not have a sign. There is a six foot sign in black and white that states: "foot and mouth disease", yet somebody came in last night and said he had not seen it. We must remember that in saying these things we are reflecting on people who are giving hours of their time. It is an individual's moral duty to look for the relevant person and inform him that he or she has been in Manchester or London. It is important that the individual takes on that responsibility.

The eyes and ears of the Department, the Garda Síochána or the Army are not sufficient. We need the support of 3.5 million people – seven million eyes looking around this country – and particularly those in the Border area where there has been a tradition of not informing on neighbours and reporting people. We are now seeking to protect the incomes of all the people. It is important that the people along the Border respect that and make sure they protect not only themselves, but the whole nation. We have an £11.5 billion industry – it is a huge business. We sell to 100 countries around world. All of that is in danger at the moment. The ongoing effects of this will not just be containment but six months down the road, we still may not be able to sell. It may be another seven or eight months after that before we get clearance. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that everybody adopts a positive attitude to this and decides to do something themselves. Together, if we cannot prevent the disease, we can at least contain it.

Mr. Crawford

I wish to share time with Deputy McGinley, my Border colleague. I welcome the opportunity to comment on this most serious issue. We must deal with it as if the disease was in the country. We must adopt a fortress mentality. The agriculture industry is worth at least £5 billion per year, or £15 million per day, to the nation. It is still the engine that drives this nation. My party thanks all sporting bodies and others for their understanding and common sense in calling off events. National and local organisations in rural areas have also acted in a responsible way and we must encourage everyone to travel as little as possible in rural areas.

The outbreak in south Armagh means that my wish and that of many others to have the island designated foot and mouth disease free can no longer be fulfilled. We must not let this incident in south Armagh stop us from reaching that objective. The Minister, Deputy Walsh, and the Northern Minister, Bríd Rodgers, with the support of our Taoiseach must make sure that relevant Department officials and veterinary personnel work together to keep this island free of all diseases in the long-term.

There has been a great deal of talk about a ring of steel around the Border. I thank all the gardaí, Army personnel and Department officials who are doing their best in very difficult weather conditions. However, the actions of this Government can only be described as slipshod and pathetic. On Wednesday 21 February, when I spoke in this Chamber, I questioned the way the Ministers were carrying out their promises made in statements and in television and radio interviews and the lack of follow through on the ground with written instructions to veterinarians, gardaí and others. The Minister of State, Deputy Davern, advised that all Border roads were manned but on Friday, I was advised that Balla bridge near Emyvale, which is quite a big bridge, was open. When I checked on Friday evening, there was no Garda presence.

On Sunday afternoon I called at a number of major and minor crossings and by then the Department officials, with the help of farmers, had disinfectant and mats in place on major roads. They were supported by gardaí but there was no obvious sign of Army personnel. There was one garda on each of the minor roads. There was obviously a major difference in how those check points were operated. Some had proper Garda signs and active participation by gardaí while at others, that was difficult to discern.

On Friday evening the Minister announced that cattle marts in Border areas should close but by midday on Saturday, no communication had been received by mart managers. Obviously, the five Border DVOs had not been instructed. No e-mails, telephones, faxes or mobile telephones were used. The district veterinary office in County Monaghan and the Ballybay mart manager share the one roof. I know the district veterinary officers and others have organised top level meetings with all relevant bodies at county level to prepare for the worst, but the Government must play its role by making sure that when decisions are made, they are advised and the decisions carried through.

The Minister has assured the nation that gardaí will be backed up by the Army. However, it was only after a week of questions from me that we learned that only 200 Garda personnel are being used. I had asked that all minor roads in the south Armagh area where the suspect case was notified and confirmed would be closed to traffic. However, I was advised only last night that the Crossmaglen-Castleblayney road has no disinfectant and yet vehicles were being let through. Surely, this is a national emergency with the future of our single biggest industry at stake.

Will the Minister, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Minister for Defence sort out whatever problems there are and make sure we utilise all personnel available, whether Garda, Army or Civil Defence? I welcome the Taoiseach's admission today that extra personnel are being brought in. There are up to 300 roads to be manned. Up to now only 450 gardaí and 200 Army personnel were doing that job 24 hours per day. That cannot be called a ring of steel; it is more like strainer.

Farm families and other dependants on the food industry are living in fear for their future. Those in the Border area especially are looking on in dismay and amazement at the lack of follow through. More than half those working in County Monaghan depend on the agriculture industry and food for their jobs. Two thirds of all Irish poultry and mushrooms are produced in County Monaghan and much of the added value milk and meat products are also produced in CavanMonaghan. County Cavan is renowned for its pig industry. The transport industry is already in crisis because of the BSE cull scheme. Add to that the Border restrictions and most units are sitting idle. However, a foot and mouth disease outbreak would devastate the area, never mind the country. More than £200 million alone is earned in County Monaghan from the food industry which is mostly for export.

The information from ports and airports over the past week has been most disturbing with a total lack of personnel and proper notice. I understand that has improved in the past 24 hours. However, it may be too late. Are the signs and loudspeaker messages in the major European languages at the very least? We can hardly expect the French, Germans, Spanish and others to understand Gaelic and, in some cases, English. Has every farmer and public office been notified in regard to proper care and disinfectant? I understand a postman visited 67 farms in the Border area yesterday and only one had any precaution. The Minister has failed to get the message across. I appreciate the advertisements in today's newspapers but they were placed only after massive pressure from this side of the House. As other Members have stated in recent days, it is impossible to get any form of disinfectant. This must be a priority.

I was advised last night that the Department's website is nothing compared to its UK counterpart. Is the Minister aware that dog racing at Dungannon, Ballyskeagh near Lisburn and possibly Derry is on tonight and that some of these races are sponsored by Bord na gCon? Is there liaison between the two Ministers on this island? This is the most serious situation that has ever arisen in this country in our generation. We must look again at the transport of pigs, sheep and cattle. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is well aware that some of the factories in the Border county of Monaghan were literally forced to close. We must make sure they are replaced to avoid this long distance transport.

Mr. McGinley

I thank Deputy Crawford for sharing his time. In light of the confirmation of foot and mouth disease in Northern Ireland, Donegal, due to its geographic location, is in a most vulnerable and precarious position. We have a huge land border stretching from Derry to Belleek with dozens of approved and unapproved crossings. At this stage of the impending crisis, we must adopt a containment strategy in regard to Donegal and the rest of the Republic. An outbreak in this country would deal a most devastating and severe body blow to the entire community, not merely to rural Ireland and our disease free record of 60 years' standing would go up in a puff of smoke.

Many farmers in Donegal, particularly along the Border, are sick with fear and anxiety. They can visualise their lifetime investment and work vanishing before their eyes. The measures being adopted and implemented today and yesterday should have been invoked last week when we learned of the first suspected case in Britain. However, the Minister and the Department dallied too long and it will be a miracle at this stage if we escape.

In spite of assurances given in the Dáil that everything possible is being done, the situation on the ground leaves a lot to be desired. While the main Border crossings in Donegal are well manned and disinfected, many of the minor roads are not. Only properly manned and disinfected roads should remain open. The IFA in Donegal has already advocated the closure of all minor roads which are inadequately manned and I strongly support that stance.

Many of our fishing boats are obliged to land in Scotland and other parts of the UK. Can the Minister assure the House that all necessary precautions are being taken at our fishing ports? What is the situation regarding our Coillte parks? I am informed that some forest parks are wide open and that access routes are not blocked off. Having said that, Glenveigh National Park has closed down and all staff have been instructed to stay at home until further notice. All Departments, local authorities and other State agencies must take the lead and provide the highest level of protection.

School children account for one of the biggest movements of people on a daily basis. Many children from farming families travel to school by bus. Are all necessary precautions being taken on farms, at schools and on buses to ensure the highest level of protection?

Is milk from Northern Ireland still on sale in the Republic? My colleague, Deputy Perry, informs me it is on sale in Sligo this morning. Are all commercial vehicles crossing the Border subjected to strict controls? Dozens of trucks transport timber and other products between Donegal and Northern Ireland daily. These trucks have access to all forests in Donegal.

If we are not vigilant about preventing the spread of this disease, the consequences will be unthinkable. Only massive national, Government led co-operation can offer us any hope of escap ing from the dark cloud which hangs over this country and its economy.

Miss Fox

I wish to share time with Deputy O'Hanlon.

Acting Chairman (Mr. O'Malley)

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Miss Fox

I want to put on record my concerns about foot and mouth disease which, it is fair to say, has reached epidemic proportions in the UK. It will certainly be a lot more difficult to deal with the current outbreak given the movement of people today compared to 1967. The Government will be judged for years to come on its response to this crisis. The measures taken by various sporting organisations such as the IRFU, GAA, FAI, horse trainers, etc., must be complimented. The cancellation of many St. Patrick's Day parades shows how seriously people are taking their role in the prevention of this crisis.

With the confirmation of the existence of foot and mouth in Armagh, we should proceed on the basis that it also exists in the Republic. I welcome many of the Taoiseach's announcements ranging from the provision of additional Army and Garda personnel at Border crossings to simple measures such as only allowing postal deliveries to farms at which mats are provided. Everybody has a role to play in preventing the spread of this disease. The case highlighted by Deputy Noonan of the young woman travelling from an infected area in the UK into Dún Laoghaire was very disturbing. Officials merely took details of the her name and address. How can we expect people to comply with restrictions if the officials who are supposedly responsible for enforcing them do not know what they are required to do? All households throughout the country should at this stage have received an information leaflet on the disease and the role people can play in its prevention. Many people do not realise they have a role to play at all.

Some days ago, sheep in County Wexford were slaughtered as a precautionary measure. That was very close to the bone for people in Wicklow and, while we are very relieved at the negative results of the tests, the incident pointed to our total lack of preparation had the worst happened. Thousands of cars travel from Wicklow to Wexford and vice versa every day. Disinfectant points should be provided along all main routes in the Republic to prevent cars carrying the virus from region to region. Setting up so-called exclusion zones following the identification of a case of foot and mouth is too little too late. While I realise that some preventative measures may prove inconvenient, the majority of people, realising the importance of such measures, would comply with them. We cannot wait until a case is confirmed in the Republic to take simple preventative measures which should and could be immediately implemented.

While the Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, should obviously provide leadership on this issue, other Departments and local authorities have a role to play. In the past, thousands of deer in the Wicklow mountains have been responsible for the spread of TB from farm to farm and there has been little intervention from either the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands or the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. What measures, if any, are currently being put in place to limit and monitor the movement of deer? What information is being provided to urban dwellers in regard to hill walking and to pet owners? People need this kind of information; it is not sufficient to put advertisements in the newspapers as people may miss them.

National parks and zoos have been closed. What policing and warden arrangements have been put in place to ensure preventative measures are enforced? Have signs been erected on the sites? These are simple measures which should have been implemented some time ago. Local authorities should have been advised to erect signs on all public commonage areas which effectively are no man's land. Responsibility should be delegated to local authorities to ensure people do not go hill walking in areas where sheep and goats graze. While they may be cumbersome, many of the proposed preventative measures can be easily implemented. It will be far too late to start implementing them after the event; we should avoid the type of fire brigade system being operated in the UK and should not leave any stone unturned in our efforts to ensure this disease is stamped out before it can take hold.

Dr. O'Hanlon

I thank Deputy Fox for sharing her time. We are in the middle of a national emergency. Members of the media have criticised the amount of time allocated to the subject by this House. The first announcement was made last Wednesday week, a Private Notice Question was tabled the following day and we had two more such questions this week. The matter was also debated under Standing Order 31 yesterday and we are again debating the matter today. The Dáil certainly recognises the urgency of the situation. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Walsh, and the Minister of State, Deputy Davern, for being so forthright about this issue and for their willingness to spend so much time debating it in the House.

While most people are aware of the gravity of the existing situation, some are not. Everyone has a part to play in preventing an outbreak here. People in urban and rural areas alike should familiarise themselves with and abide by the Department's regulations and recommendations. They should also take whatever other common sense measures are required to minimise risk, such as not visiting farms unless it is necessary. Neither should people cross the Border if it is not absolutely necessary. I was utterly amazed at the speed with which Border roads in my own area were sealed off. I visited the nine checkpoints on Saturday last in a five mile journey between the Castleblaney-Armagh road and the Monaghan-Dundalk road which runs through the North. Two were official crossings manned by agricultural officers and gardaí. The other roads had a garda there. They had been there from the previous day. There were not 1,000 gardaí in Carrickmacross waiting to go out to the Border when an emergency arose. They were doing their normal work, mainly in Munster, and were called to the Border at short notice.

The roads can be closed but it was never possible to seal the Border totally. I do not want to see it sealed completely but there are only two ways to do it. One is to build a wall from Donegal to Dundalk. The other is to put all the European armies shoulder to shoulder across the fields. I was satisfied with the level of security I saw.

There should be an all-Ireland approach to animal disease with uniform policy, regulations and procedures, so that in an emergency such as this there will be no imports into the island. The sea boundary around us is more manageable than attempting to man the land boundary.

I commend the Army, Garda and agricultural officials for their work on the Border. Where possible the respective Ministers should ensure that the task is made easier by, for example, the provision of temporary shelters. The weather conditions are particularly severe now.

A very small number of unscrupulous people involved in farming will exploit any situation to satisfy their greed. They must be dealt with. I commend the majority of farmers, and the animal heath committee of the IFA, especially in my own constituency, for their commitment. The Minister should review existing legislation on animal health to ensure that where regulations are breached the penalty is in line with the offence. This should apply to any breach of a legislation which results in the risk of introducing or spreading animal disease.

The public have responded magnificently to the situation. All working together, political parties, State agencies, and ordinary people are taking the necessary precautions. By acting on the advice from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the task force, the Garda and the farmers' organisations, we can provide the best protection for the farmers and those involved in agribusiness and minimise the risk to the economy.

Mrs. Owen

I wish to share my time with Deputy Durkan. I represent a Dublin constituency and there may be surprise that a Dublin person should speaking in this debate. My constituency has a large rural area from which a vast amount of our horticultural products come, as the Minister knows. The Minister must assure us that the transportation of vegetables and other horticultural products is being examined to ensure that their movement will be controlled to prevent the spreading of disease.

Before I became a Member of the House, on completion of my science degree I did a post-graduate course in microbiology. I know at first hand the horror of the spread of viruses and bacteria, and the speed at which they can grow. As it is normally colourless, odourless and invisible to the naked eye, we find it hard to understand how dangerous such a virus is. Arising from my background, I remind people what a microscopic particle virus measures and why it is impossible to control this particular virus. Ultra-microscopic virus particles may have diameters as small as 5.5 milli-microns. A thousandth part of a millimetre is one twenty-seventh twenty five thousandth of an inch. It has been said that one billion micrococci could be easily contained in a drop of water having the volume of one thousandth part of one c.c. That is technical but consider that a plastic medicine spoon contain 5 c.c. One drop of water having the volume of thousandth part of one c.c. makes us appreciate what we are up against.

Many people watch the television programme, "The X-Files", in which there is the dramatisation of horrors where a test tube of a deadly virus is dropped or stolen. The programme then is about preventing that getting out to cause a plague or pandemic. We must make people realise that the situation is that serious.

No amount of equivocation, like someone claiming he is just moving animals from here to there, can be allowed. Yesterday a communication from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development was in my pigeon hole. It contains an untruth because the Minister told us yesterday that at 9.30 p.m. the previous night he had signed the exclusion order around the farms in Armagh and in this country, but this document says that appropriate measures, including an exclusion zone, were in place since 3 p.m. the day before. That is a difference of six and a half hours between what is claimed in this document and what the Minister stated in the House. If that is a measure of the regulation in place then I am losing confidence in it.

Last Tuesday a three decker truck left Raphoe in County Donegal with 400 sheep and travelled across the country to the Ballymun abattoir in north Dublin. It was a legal transaction. Whether my party agrees or not, given our knowledge of this virus, a ban until the 6 March should be put on the transport of animals even for slaughter. That date will mark the end of the 14 day incubation period since the time we think the disease broke out in Armagh. Then we will have an idea if there is infection from that source. Why do trucks travel from Raphoe to Ballymun when there is an abattoir in County Donegal? If they were slaughtered in the county of origin the animals' movement would be limited. Those animals travelled in distress through Leitrim, Sligo, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare and Dublin to reach Ballymun.

Yesterday the French authorities refused not just live animals but meat also from the animals which were slaughtered last Wednesday. We are losing both livestock and meat exports. The Minister must assure the House that the 140,000 farmers, 47,000 people in the food industry, 60,000 in the grocery trade in this £10 billion industry will be protected by the Government, given the horror of a virus like this. The weather now is the worst kind for its survival. The colder the weather, the longer it lives. We are in the worst position. Are there procedures in the exclusion zone to burn hay and clothes which may be contaminated? I suspect that this is not being done. Until people recognise that we are talking of plague proportions, the public and farmers will not realise the full danger.

Mr. Durkan

Everyone has to set an example. We can be proud of the example set by some and sad at others. Dennis Brosnan set a good example in the early stages by calling for the abandonment of sporting activities here and overseas. He knew what the risks were. He had no difficulty coming to that decision, nor did many other sportspeople.

We have suddenly and sadly become acutely aware that a small number of people engage in dubious activity. They skulk and run away from their responsibilities in the meat production area. I refer to the Athleague incident. As long as such subterfuge goes on, our international credit as a food producing country will be at risk.

This House should set an example. We have mats outside the front and back doors of Leinster House, but there is no reason there should not be mats at the gates for cars to drive over. Next week, cars will be coming back to the city from all parts of the country. There were no mats this morning.

Dáil Éireann debate - Friday, 2 Mar 2001

Foot and Mouth Disease: Statements.

Acting Chairman

Acting Chairman

Acting Chairman

Acting Chairman

Mr. Coveney

Mr. Coveney

Dáil Éireann debate -
Friday, 2 Mar 2001