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Animal Diseases

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 September 2020

Wednesday, 30 September 2020

Ceisteanna (285)

Carol Nolan

Ceist:

285. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of measures in place to detect and prevent the emergence of African swine fever in the pig sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27629/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

African swine fever (ASF), a disease of pigs and wild boar continues to pose a threat to the Irish pig sector and my Department implements a range of risk mitigation measures to prevent an incursion of the disease in Ireland.  Ireland is free of the disease.  It should be noted that the disease does not pose a threat to humans and meat is safe to eat.

Since 2018, in light of the continuously evolving international disease situation, my Department has engaged in a comprehensive disease awareness programme for farmers, stakeholders, vets, and the general public.

The risk factors relevant to the introduction of ASF to Ireland relate to the movement of pigs, pig products including food, equipment/clothing and persons from  areas affected with ASF being introduced onto Irish pig farms. The Department continues to highlight these risk factors for a incursion of ASF to pig owners through the media including the press and social media including most recently recording an ASF podcast for the Teagasc website. Furthermore, my Department also has a contingency plan in place in order to effectively deal with any potential outbreak of ASF in Ireland. This includes the carrying out of checks for illegal food products at ports and airports in conjunction with Revenue using a targeted, risk-based approach. A food detector dog is used in addition to manual checks and scanning equipment at Dublin airport.  

The risk of an incursion of African Swine Fever in Ireland can be reduced through the practice of effective biosecurity at farm level. If consistently applied, biosecurity measures will  help  prevent disease, whether exotic to or endemic in Ireland, from entering a farm and from spreading within a farm. My Department is currently finalising a strategy on National Farm Biosecurity which will emphasise the importance of  good biosecurity in protecting and improving animal health and welfare as well as ensuring good public health, through reduced antimicrobial usage, reduced transmission of zoonotic disease and improved environmental health. The strategy also provides a road-map that will hopefully ensure that good farm biosecurity is consistently practiced by all farmers at all times, and not just in the face of an immediate risk of a disease outbreak.

The international disease situation is continuously monitored and updates are issued to stakeholders when necessary such as for example to inform them of the recent cases of ASF in wild boar in Germany. The EU has legislation to control outbreaks of the disease and places specific restrictions on the movement of live pigs and pig products from affected areas to free Member States such as Ireland and the trade of wild boar between EU Member States is prohibited in order to reduce this risk.

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