Imported cattle show no signs of foot-and-mouth

ALL the live cattle imported into the State from England since the start of last month have been traced.

The farms on which they are located have been visited by Departmental of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food staff.

All the animals have been clinically examined and showed no evidence of disease, Minister Mary Coughlan said yesterday.

Farm leaders — Padraig Walshe, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Jackie Cahill, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), and Malcolm Thompson, the Cattle and Sheepowners’ Association (ICSA) — pledged full support for the minister’s efforts to prevent the disease spreading to this country.

However, Ms Coughlan clashed with the IFA after it raised the issue of Brazilian beef imports in the context of the outbreak in Surrey.

IFA Livestock Committee chairman John Bryan claimed the Surrey outbreak was bound to happen.

A report delivered to the European Commission by the IFA following a recent visit to Brazil highlighted the poor livestock control standards that exist in that country.

But the minister said she was not going to rise to insinuations as to the source of the outbreak coming from another country or a third country.

She said everybody should wait and see what the British authorities had to say in relation to the outbreak. It was important that they were not distracted from the main issue, which was to find the source and ensure that the disease does not come to Ireland.

The exchange occurred before it emerged that an accidental leak from a scientific research laboratory near the infected Surrey farm was being investigated as the possible source of the disease outbreak.

Mr Walshe said that recurring disease scares are a nightmare for farmers and damaging for confidence in the industry.

They can only be dealt with, both internally in Europe and especially on imports, by the strictest controls.

The cost, risk and consequences of importing beef from countries such as Brazil, where foot and mouth disease is endemic, is irresponsible, he said.

Meanwhile, Michael Barry, director, Irish Dairy Industry Association (IDIA), said it is crucial that Ireland adopts a science-based approach in identifying and managing the risks associated with this highly contagious disease.

Fine Gael spokesperson, Denis Naughten TD, said the outbreak in England must be treated as an emergency here as the risk of it spreading to Ireland must be considered high.