I will call on the Deputies who tabled questions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on discussions with the Government in the United Kingdom to prevent the further spread of foot and mouth disease here in the order in which they submitted their questions to my office.
Private Notice Questions. - Foot and Mouth Disease.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will open urgent discussions with the United Kingdom authorities on the basis of the latest evidence that the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom is clearly not under control; and, in particular, if he will propose measures which can be taken by the UK Government to prevent further spread of foot and mouth disease to Ireland.
As Deputy Penrose is not in the Chamber, I call on the Minister to reply.
With the Ceann Comhairle's permission, I propose to answer Deputy O'Keeffe's question and that tabled by Deputy Penrose together. I have informed the House of my reaction to the confirmation earlier today of two cases of foot and mouth disease in County Louth and of the immediate steps I am taking by way of instructing our diplomatic missions abroad. Since 20 February when the outbreak of the disease was confirmed in Britain, my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and his officials have been in close contact with their opposite numbers in Britain, both at bilateral and EU level. The Minister, Deputy Walsh, met the British Minister, Mr. Browne, in Brussels as recently as Monday last. He is also in very close contact with his counterpart, Ms Bríd Rodgers, in Northern Ireland. These intensive discussions with the British and Northern Ireland agriculture authorities will continue and cover all aspects of this very serious situation, including the measures enforced to contain the spread of the disease.
The Government is fully supportive of these efforts which represent the best hope of bringing the disease under effective control on these islands. I will meet my British colleague, the Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, at the European Council in Stockholm later this week and impress upon him the importance we attach to the urgent need to contain and eradicate the disease in Ireland and the United Kingdom as quickly as possible. The Taoiseach today raised this question directly with Prime Minister Blair. I will avail of every suitable opportunity to impress upon the British authorities our grave concerns about the outbreak of the disease.
Does the Minister accept that Britain is, almost certainly, the source of the infection? Does he further accept that the disease is, clearly, not under control in the United Kingdom and that no effective measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the disease there? Will he, at a minimum in his discussions at the European Council with the Foreign Secretary, seek disinfection programmes at all exit points in the United Kingdom for all goods and passengers travelling to Ireland? I hope the Taoiseach will do the same in his discussions with the Prime Minister. Does the Minister accept that this is the minimum we could expect at this stage from the UK authorities?
I will urge the British authorities to ensure maximum vigilance to prevent the further spread of the disease. The question of specific controls is a matter best dealt with by my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, who is in constant contact with his veterinary and administrative staff who have front-line responsibility for dealing with the issue and are doing so very well. The confirmed outbreak in County Louth is disappointing and we must ensure there is co-operation in the attempt to prevent the disease spreading. I under stand from the information which is emerging that the outbreak in County Louth is more likely to be a secondary outbreak from the Meigh outbreak rather than a separate infection. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is best placed to deal with control measures as it has the necessary expertise, knowledge and wherewithall to so do.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I will ensure our diplomatic missions are kept fully informed of the up-to-date position and will ensure trade is not affected, in so far as it is possible to do so. The EU Standing Veterinary Committee is due to meet tomorrow and we will make the point that this matter should be dealt with on a regional basis, as has happened in regard to the outbreaks in France and elsewhere. We hope that will be the agreed outcome of tomorrow's meeting. Such an outcome would, clearly, help our diplomatic missions to make the clear case that the outbreak is confined and being addressed and that the Minister signed further stringent measures and orders this morning in regard to the extension of the surveillance area.
The Department is in constant daily contact with its British counterparts in regard to measures which can be taken to prevent the spread of the disease. As I stated, the Taoiseach has raised the matter with the British Prime Minister and I intend to raise it with the Foreign Secretary. We are all at one on the seriousness of the situation and will take every reasonable step to address it.
Does the Minister understand the British psyche on this problem, as evidenced by Prime Minister Blair who stated yesterday in the House of Commons that people should continue to visit the countryside? The British seem to adopt a different approach to dealing with the issue. Professor Anderson, an expert commissioned by the British authorities to examine the outbreak of the disease in the United Kingdom, predicted yesterday that it will be worse than the 1967 crisis, not peak until May and not be eliminated until August at the earliest. In view of this are we to continue to be at risk of further spread of the disease from the United Kingdom? I do not want to be anti-British about this, but we must demand the imposition of measures which will guarantee, as far as possible, that there will be no further spread of the disease here from Britain.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by the Deputy and assure him that we will make those points to our British counterparts. I, too, was concerned to hear the prediction that the disease will not peak until May. The situation in the United Kingdom is of serious concern. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is dealing with the issue bilaterally and taking every possible precaution to prevent the spread of the disease. The number of outbreaks in the United Kingdom and the forecast that they might be continue are very worrying and we will impress upon our UK counterparts the need for them to do everything possible to resolve the issue speedily, in their own interest as well as ours. Members can be assured that we will continue to take every possible measure to eradicate the source of the infection of the disease which, unfortunately, has been confirmed in County Louth. In the meantime, we will continue to take whatever precautionary measures are necessary.
I apologise for my late arrival. Deputy Penrose also tabled a question on this matter which sought to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to outline what representations he has made tothe British authorities in view of the increased danger posed to this country, highlighted by the outbreak in County Louth. The British statements made in recent days and weeks emphasised the importance of striking a balance between the areas affected by foot and mouth disease and the more general aspects of the British economy, particularly rural tourism. As recently as yesterday, the British Prime Minister appeared on television announcing that the British countryside had not been closed down. The Irish countryside was effectively closed down with the cancellation of sporting events etc. I do not know whether the Minister has clarified whether he will have an opportunity to indicate to his colleagues at the upcoming summit that they have a broader obligation than that of merely ensuring a balance within their own economy. The epidemic proportions of the disease in the United Kingdom now pose a threat to another country. The balance that must be struck is not an internal balance between the tourism aspect of our own economy and the restrictions and slaughter that has been put in place, but also the danger that it represents to our country. We are all trying to be of assistance in this House. However, people are expressing a grave dissatisfaction with the disciplines that they now will wish to continue and the difference between those and what is taking place in the United Kingdom. It is difficult to reply to the suggestion from a member of the public that if a regime as stringent as ours had been undertaken in the early days of the disease in Britain, perhaps we would not be in such great danger now. The suggestion is almost that we had only to speak about agricultural consequences in Ireland and that we did not have a related economy. However, our related economy has been suffering deeply, and it will suffer more. Will the Minister use the occasion of the Stockholm conference to emphasise these points to your colleagues and report back to the House?
Is the Leas-Cheann Comhairle taking a series of questions together before the Minister replies?
If the Minister is agreeable we will take two or three questions.
I think we need to keep the focus on foot and mouth.
In view of the cavalier fashion with which the British Government dealt with this, will there be discussions about movement of people from certain areas in the United Kingdom? At the moment there is no travel embargo. Something has gone wrong in the disinfection area and perhaps this has not been sufficient to prevent the disease given that we now have two cases. These cases seem to have emerged after the incubation period of four weeks. It seems therefore that the disease has entered this country subsequent to the Carlisle shipment. Will the Minister be discussing travel embargoes from certain areas of the UK?
The United Kingdom had a cavalier attitude towards the control of the epidemic in their own country.
Given the EU reaction to Austria, when the EU decided it did not favour one of the partners in government there, and given the threat posed by the actions of the United Kingdom to our country's economy and well-being, will the Minister call for criticism of the UK and its actions to be made at EU level?
Members should confine themselves to questions, please.
The two main points of entry into Ireland are through Larne and Holyhead. Traffic through Larne will have travelled through Dumfries, Galloway and the Cumbria area. Holyhead in Anglesea is the other main port. I believe that boat loads of fertiliser are coming in through the port of Drogheda and, except for disinfection mats, no preventative measures are being taken. We need to put pressure on the UK to ensure that this is taken seriously. The Minister has an important role to play as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will the Minister insure that the United Kingdom is made aware of its obligations? Otherwise, the disease in Louth will be only the beginning of our problems.
I have another more local but equally important question for the Minister. There is an area of County Monaghan known as Drumoley and I wonder if this area has been ceded to County Fermanagh. The Border patrols are only in the southern part of that parish and people in that area feel very vulnerable. Will the Minister clarify that if an outbreak happens in that area it will be classified as part of the Republic?
The whole disease and animal health programme in the EU has obviously broken down, particularly in the context of the White Paper on animal health and disease eradication which is currently under discussion. Will the Minister bring to the attention of his European colleagues the serious gaps that exist in the system, shown by the serious outbreak in the UK, the outbreaks in Europe and the outbreak in this country? What action does the Minister intend to take at European level to ensure that our European colleagues focus sufficiently on the need for positive action?
Dr. Upton
Does the Minister intend to raise with his counterpart in the UK the importance of ensuring that non-essential travel and movement of people between the UK and Ireland will be put in place? People travelling from the UK to Ireland in particular are potentially a serious threat. Will the Minister with his counterpart put in place a system to try to ensure that non-essential travel is minimised? Will improved protection measures by way of disinfection procedures at airports and ports be guaranteed?
Given the level of anger and amazement shown by the public in reaction to the statements by the British Prime Minister, has the Taoiseach discussed the matter recently with him? Has the Minister plans for the monitoring of international media coverage of this outbreak? Some of the foreign television stations broadcast figures for Ireland and Britain together. They do not distinguish between the UK and the Republic.
The Taoiseach spoke to Prime Minister Blair today in relation to these matters. I confirm that officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs working in our embassies will be monitoring reaction and comment and relaying it back to us and will ensure that there is no misrepresentation of our position. The expert group set up by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is advising him on the measures that need to be taken. The expert group is meeting today and the Minister will listen to all recommendations as to what further steps need to be taken. The issues of non-essential travel will be assessed by the expert group which has the expertise and knowledge and can assess the risk.
There is a need for increased competence at EU level on the whole food safety issue. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development were in touch with Commissioner Byrne yesterday and today and will do so on an ongoing basis. These are matters which arise from both the BSE and foot and mouth incidences. The need to gear up at European level and synchronise and co-ordinate a response is clearly of great importance.
Regarding my contacts with the United Kingdom Foreign Secretary and the Taoiseach with the UK Prime Minister as we approach the European Council meeting, the House can be assured that we will communicate the seriousness with which this is viewed in Ireland and the need for fullest co-operation possible between both administrations, North and South and Ireland and Britain. While this matter is not on the agenda, it may arise in informal discussions at the European Council. Should the matter be aired either bilaterally or by the Council, the Taoiseach will detail that discussion when reporting to the House on his return on the outcome of the Council meeting.
All possible efforts will be made by the Government and by the Ministers concerned, including me, to ensure that, in our various and respective areas of responsibility, we do our bit to ensure this matter is confined, dealt with and eradicated as quickly as possible.
The Stockholm summit takes place tomorrow. Will the Minister summarise briefly the approach to this problem Ireland will adopt at that summit? Will he also summarise the message he believes is necessary to give to the UK Prime Minister and the UK Ministers present? Does the Minister agree that, although we cannot interfere in internal decisions in the UK, such as the decision to hold local elections on 3 May, the refusal to postpone them in the worst hit areas, such as Cumbria and Devon, and the decision to engage on an advertising campaign to encourage people to visit the countryside, we have a right to and can and must interfere in decisions which have an impact on Ireland where foot and mouth disease is obviously taken more seriously than in the UK?
I apologise for being late but I was receiving a briefing elsewhere. Has the Minister contacted the UK Foreign Secretary to emphasise the importance of this matter to us and impress upon him the measures we have put in place? We have already taken important steps today, including a risk assessment. Have there been any other adverse comments from our EU trading partners on the impact the disease might have? I understand there may already have been contact from Austria. Has there been any other contact given the possible political impact the outbreak of the disease may have?
Will the Minister undertake an intense diplomatic initiative to ensure countries in Europe and beyond recognise the major efforts we have made over the past month to keep the situation under control? I understand there will be a meeting tomorrow of the EU veterinary council. Is it likely that, like the French and Dutch, we will be successful in having the matter regionalised, probably initially to County Louth or some variant, instead of the country being treated as a whole? What steps will the Government take to ensure that is successful?
Arising from statements in the House this morning, I have had discussions with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and we have arranged for his officials to brief my officials this afternoon. They, in turn, will give the fullest and most up to date information to all our embassies and ambassadors abroad who, in turn, will be in touch with the respective authorities to confirm the factual position. We are hopeful, based on initial soundings, that this matter will be regionalised as a result of the EU veterinary council meeting tomorrow. It is a science based committee and we must await the outcome of its meeting. However, we are hopeful that we will be treated similarly to the French and others who have suffered similar outbreaks. I will meet the UK Foreign Secretary, Mr. Cook, tomorrow at the European Council meeting and will discuss this matter with him in the same way as the Taoiseach has already discussed the matter with the UK Prime Minister today. The House can be assured that we will seek to defend the national interest in as proper, appropriate and determined a way as would be expected given the seriousness of the situation.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.