asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will initiate negotiations with the Department of Agriculture in Belfast with a view to ensuring that cows from County Donegal will be accepted for export to Northern Ireland as having been tested for brucellosis.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Brucellosis Tested Cows.
19.
Under Northern Ireland regulations, female animals may be imported from the Republic of Ireland provided they are maiden heifers accompanied by veterinary certification that they are not pregnant. They must be from a brucellosis certified herd and, in addition, have passed a pre-export brucellosis test. The only exception to these regulations are pedigree cows or pedigree in-calf heifers in which case special import conditions are applicable.
For trade in live cattle between this country and the Continental members of the EEC a pre-export brucellosis test is required. My Department has indicated to the authorities in Northern Ireland that the requirement regarding certification in relation to nonpregnancy is unacceptable, but they do not agree with this view.
Of course, the Minister is aware that in-calf heifers and cows from Donegal were permitted into the Six Counties at one stage.
I am well aware of it.
They were precluded, in common with other counties, despite the fact that the number of cases detected from Donegal were as few as perhaps one or two. A joint meeting of the Donegal branch of the IFA and the Ulster Farmers' Association discussed this matter and the Ulster Farmers' Association would be quite anxious to accept Donegal cows as brucellosis free.
I would ask the Deputy not to embark on statements of this kind.
There have been long discussions about this. We disagreed with the view of the Northern Ireland people and we were not able to convince them.
Is the Minister aware that the regulation required by the Northern authorities is that a separate certificate be issued with each female animal and that vets in Donegal cannot issue this because they cannot give a guarantee that a heifer or a cow is not in calf in the very early stages and that the Northern authorities are prepared to look at Donegal in isolation and take Donegal cattle? What they are afraid of——
I am afraid Deputies are embarking on statements.
The difficulty is that cattle can be brought from the west or from the southern counties of Ireland and that the natural hinterland, the natural market, for Donegal cattle is across the Border. Would it be possible for the Minister to isolate Donegal by having some type of arrangement at Ballyshannon Bridge which is at present guarded by the security forces for different reasons? I understand that the Donegal——
Deputy, please. We cannot have a debate on this matter. The Chair has given a lot of latitude. Let the Chair be respected in the matter.
That is a very important question and I am proving it. Would the Minister, in co-operation with the Donegal Farmers' Association, operate some scheme whereby Northern farmers could get a guarantee that Donegal cattle, and Donegal cattle only, would be offered to them for sale?
I do not think one could separate Donegal from other Border counties in this regard. One could not make a case for one Border county and not another.
Question No. 20.
As my colleague has pointed out, it is a very small——
As Deputy Brennan has said, it was kept separate at one stage. There is no physical difficulty in having it kept separate at the moment. I understand that any animal coming from outside Donegal could——
I want to help Deputy Harte and Deputy Brennan in this matter but I am afraid we shall have to pass on.
I am asking the Minister to agree to isolate Donegal—it is very easy to do it—for Donegal animals alone.
That point has been made already.
It is discriminating in favour of one Border county and I do not think we could stand over this sort of discrimination.
Question No. 20.
The Minister is aware, as I pointed out at the beginning, that the importation was stopped originally because the scheme was being abused. As far as I know, there is a record of one case only where Donegal people abused the scheme.
Deputies will have to accept that we will have to get Northern Ireland agreement on this and we failed to get that agreement.
The farmers are agreeable.
We have to be guided by what the veterinary people say about this.