Vol. 548 No. 2
174 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the measures to control and monitor the virus, blue ear, in the pig population; the number of out breaks of this in the past six months; and the locations of these outbreaks. [4508/02]
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, PRRS, otherwise known as "blue ear" is a notifiable disease under the provisions of the Diseases of Animals (Notification of Infectious Diseases) Order, 1992.
Pig herds identified as either positive or suspect for PRRS are restricted under the terms of the Diseases of Animals (Notification of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Order, 1998. This order only permits the movement of pigs from restricted herds to either a slaughter plant or to another PRRS restricted herd. Such movement may take place only under the conditions of a specific movement permit issued by my Department's local district veterinary office. Among other things, the specific movement permit requires the haulier to pay particular attention to the cleansing and disinfection of the vehicle after carriage of the pigs has taken place. At present de-restriction of herds may only take place after a suspect herd has been found to be negative following a series of further blood tests or, where a positive herd has been depopulated and the premises have been cleansed and disinfected to the satisfaction of my Department, the entire premises have been left vacant for 30 days and there has been a negative representative blood sample three weeks after the reintroduction of pigs to the premises.
In the period March 1999 to July 2001, three national surveys of the incidence of the PRRS virus in pig herds were carried out by means of blood sampling at pig meat plants throughout the country. The blood samples taken were tested at my Department's Central Veterinary Laboratory at Abbottstown, County Dublin. In January of this year, a further blood sampling survey was carried out at pig meat plants located in southern counties. In addition, the blood sampling of sows at other plants is taking place at present. A system of follow-up blood sampling at farm level has also been set up to investigate certain herds who are either positive or suspect for PRRS.
There have been six positive cases of PRRS in the last six months. These cases have occurred in Cork, Limerick and Donegal.
