Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
1888. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that a retest has been ordered to test for hoof wall separation disease by a society (details supplied); the body financing the retests; and if there was a breach in protocols procedure in testing at an organisation. [19930/22]
View answerI have contacted the Connemara Pony Breeders Society (CPBS) and they have informed me that they raised a query with the testing laboratory in relation to a foal, whose parentage was certified by private test as not carrying the HWSD gene. The same foal had been tested by the testing laboratory and found to be a carrier of the disease.
The testing laboratory informed the CPBS that given that the test is run in batches containing a number of ponies, that all samples from that batch should be retested for HWSD. The laboratory found that a number of test results were incorrect.
I am informed that the laboratory conducted a thorough review which revealed a software upgrade issue. I understand the matter has now been rectified by the laboratory.
A small number of passports were recalled by the society and the results rectified.
