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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 Mar 2001

Vol. 533 No. 5

Ceisteanna – Questions. Priority Questions. - Foot and Mouth Disease.

Seymour Crawford

Question:

4 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will set out the latest information available with regard to the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Proleek, County Louth; if there is any information with regard to the vector by which the disease arrived on the farm; the measures which are now in place to prevent the spread of the disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9237/01]

I have endeavoured to keep the House and the general public informed of new developments in regard to foot and mouth disease as they arise.

The Deputy will already be aware of the arrangements in place for culling susceptible animals in the vicinity of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Proleek, County Louth. The cull of sheep and cattle in the one kilometer zone was completed on 25 March and the cull of sheep in the three kilometer zone was completed on 26 March. The three kilometer protection zone and the ten kilometer surveillance zone provided for in European Communities legislation remain in place.

The House will also be aware of the decision taken in conjunction with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland to create a firewall between Meigh in County Armagh and Proleek in County Louth by extending the preventative cull of sheep to that area. This is intended to create a corridor in which there will be no live sheep which might be capable of transmitting the disease. Any decision on the need for further culling in the Cooley peninsula will depend on the outcome of epidemiological and other investigations which are continuing on an ongoing basis. A decision has already been made to engage the wildlife service of Dúchas and the Army to cull any remaining susceptible wildlife on the Cooley mountains, and this work is proceeding.

Further developments include acceptance by the EU's Standing Veterinary Committee of a Commission decision earlier this week to regionalise Ireland until at least 19 April when the issue will be reviewed. In effect this means the range of restrictions in place in County Louth will remain in place until that date, although the period of restriction may be extended beyond then depending on developments. Exports of agricultural products from the rest of the country can continue with appropriate certification.

As for the origins of the Proleek outbreak, there has been no breakthrough to date in establishing a definitive link. The greatest risk of transmission is through animal to animal contact, followed by possible infection through people or vehicles. Investigations in relation to the origin of the Proleek outbreak are continuing and all possible leads are being followed up. In the meantime, every precaution is being taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

Our hearts bleed for the people of the Cooley Peninsula. It is difficult to watch what is happening from a distance. One can only imagine what the farmers of the area are going through. I guarantee the Minister the support of this side of the House in trying to ease the situation as much as possible. It is difficult to understand the reason there is still no indication of from where the outbreak came. When it was necessary to slaughter 1,200 lambs in County Monaghan I publicly supported the Department. If sheep in the Meigh area south of the Border had been slaughtered at an earlier stage, could the spread of the disease generally have been prevented? I welcome the co-operation between the Minister and his Northern counterpart, Ms Bríd Rodgers, and urge that every step be taken to confine the outbreak to the Cooley Peninsula. Will the Minister give an update on the situation in other areas? I understand there has been some good news. The House would like an update, however, on the situation.

It is exasperating that we have been unable to establish a link between the Meigh and Proleek cases. All the expertise suggests that ani mal to animal contact and vehicle and person to animal contact are the most high risk ways of transmitting the infection. I said publicly that it is callous in the extreme for people who have been involved in smuggling not to give information. It took up to last Sunday night before some of those directly involved gave us vital information. That information led to culling in five or six different parts of the jurisdiction. The sad aspect is that up to five weeks had gone by when high risk animals could have been incubating the disease and causing mayhem. One of the individuals concerned suggested on the national radio network that if he was given immunity and some payments, he would give us the necessary information. This is regrettable. Ordinary farmers and the general public have been absolutely outstanding in their national solidarity and support, as has the House. I commend everyone, including the Deputy and everyone else who supported the cull in County Monaghan. There is no doubt in my mind that sooner or later we will find that there was a connection or contact between the two outbreaks.

The Deputy asked the up-to-date position in other areas. We are awaiting the results on the County Louth samples. It will, probably, be tomorrow morning before we receive them. We were encouraged and relieved this morning to learn that the preliminary results from Pirbright on the Camolin samples were clear. The samples from counties Laois and Waterford were also clear. The one outstanding set of results that we want from that side of the country were taken from Slaney Meats, Bunclody, yesterday evening. These samples were taken as a precautionary measure. Based on the initial clinical examination, they are not of the same high worry risk as the one in County Louth. The fact that the samples were clear is a huge relief for us because susceptible and high risk animals came into the jurisdiction before the patrols were established along the Border. They were distributed to different farms and could have been a timebomb waiting to infect a huge number of areas. Apart from the Bunclody sample, all the other samples are clear.

The disease is still rampant in Britain where there are additional cases in different areas. Worryingly, the number of cases in The Netherlands has increased to ten. We have to remain on high alert in so far as the disease is concerned. We are by no means at the stage where we can relax in any way.

I urge the Minister to contact the banks and look at the social welfare aspect. While the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs is dealing sympathetically with those within the Cooley Peninsula, it needs to be broadened to cover those farmers who cannot sell stock. In the light of the continuing widespread infection in the United Kingdom, is the Minister satisfied with the use of mats and disinfectant at ports?

Question No. 5 deals with that issue.

Paul Connaughton

Question:

5 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he has raised with his counterpart in the United Kingdom the need to ensure air and sea commuters travelling from the United Kingdom to Ireland are sufficiently encouraged to use proper disinfectant procedures at the various departure points; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9399/01]

The disinfection arrangements in place in ports and airports in the United Kingdom, is, in the first instance, a matter for the authorities there. Commission Decision 200/190/EC requires the United Kingdom authorities to ensure the operators of ports of exit in the United Kingdom ensure the tyres of road vehicles departing from the United Kingdom are disinfected. This is a clear EU regulation. While there is no such Commission requirement in relation to the disinfection of foot passengers aboard seagoing vessels or for air passengers, the authorities here are in continuous contact with their counterparts in the United Kingdom to seek to ensure proper disinfection arrangements are installed and maintained for both vehicles and passengers.

I am satisfied that adequate disinfection arrangements are in place at ports and airports. I commend the various port authorities and relevant Departments and agencies on the outstanding job they are doing. Some of the people I met at ports had come out of retirement to help staff ports and airports. They are doing an absolutely superb job in the national interest. The are ensuring banned goods or live animals from the United Kingdom are not being allowed into Ireland and that every possible precaution is being taken here to reduce the risk of transmission of foot and mouth disease from the United Kingdom.

I take it that everything that can and should be done within our jurisdication is being done. There are more than 700 cases of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom and the number is rising by the hour. It is estimated that there will be between 4,000-5,000 cases in the United Kingdom before the disease is eradicated. Given that the disease has got out of hand in the United Kingdom and the huge volume of passenger and freight traffic between the two countries every day, like me, many people do not believe that the UK authorities are doing what they can and should do. What meetings have taken place between the Irish and British authorities and Aer Lingus, Ryanair, British Airways and ferry companies? Four out of five people believe the matter is not being taken as seriously as it should be by the other side, particularly in view of the number of cases there. It is unfortunate from the point of view of everyone they do not seem to be able to control the problem.

Within this jurisdiction everything that can be done is being done. I have never experienced such a degree of national solidarity and people have been outstanding. There have been thousands of calls each day to the helpline in the Department and almost all are constructive calls. I can also confirm that in any one week there are approximately 600,000 hits on the Department's website. These are from ordinary people who want an update and want to be helpful. We know that people, of their own volition, even suspended indoor activities where there was little or no risk in order to show good example. We have a rapport with farmers in Ireland and there are few people without a close connection to the land and that is why we have such a unique response to the situation.

The way other jurisdictions address the issue and their response to foot and mouth is a matter for themselves. I have been in regular contact with both Minister Nick Brown and Minister Bríd Rodgers and, to a lesser extent, with other Ministers in mainland Europe both at the Council of Ministers and by telephone. This contact seeks to ensure that countries that have a problem with foot and mouth do not transmit that disease to other countries and that they take every possible precaution. I can confirm that airports, Aer Lingus, Ryanair and the ports and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources authorities have been in direct contact with their counterparts in the UK. They have visited the UK and brought about improvements there. I have a copy of some literature now being distributed in the UK on precautions to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease to other countries.

It took them a long time.

We find it incomprehensible that the authorities in the UK would encourage people to visit the countryside. That is not the way we have addressed the matter but there is a first class job being done now on upgrading disinfection facilities at ports of access. Credit is due to those at ports in the UK and Northern Ireland on their controls.

We welcome people to this country at all times but at this stage I understand that officially we welcome people from UK cities. Given the suspicions we have that disinfection is not taken seriously in the UK is it not difficult for an Irish farmer to understand how that is allowed when he is not allowed to walk his cattle across the road between two parts of his farm without a permit?

There is no doubt that there is a different culture in relation to the response to this disease in Britain. I want to commend both the farming and non-farming people here. People in shops, businesses and the tourist industry are hurting badly at the present time. Farmers are discommoded and there is a fair amount of inconvenience but for a lot of farmers business goes on, under certification, and the price of lamb and cattle is very high. The difficulty is in collecting full loads of cattle from particular places. The expert group has been asked to try to find some way to get around this problem. I accept that it is hard to understand some of the situations in Britain and other countries compared with what we are doing here. I hope our measures will stand us in good stead over the coming weeks.

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