Vol. 495 No. 7
308 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason his Department continues to allow commonage (details supplied) in County Mayo where herds are freely mixing together in view of the danger of the spread of disease from herd to herd. [21512/98]
The existence of commonages, particularly in the west of Ireland, is part of our heritage and there is no legislation to prevent the grazing of livestock on such land. The disease risk involved in the association of different groups of cattle on a commonage is not dissimilar to the situation arising in marts where animals are gathered together on a regular basis. Provided animals are of the same health status entering the commonage, there is no undue risk to the overall group. It is strongly recommended, however, that herd-owners should ensure that animals grazed on commonages are tested again before they return to the main farm and mix with other cattle in the herd.
