No changes to control measures for bluetongue

A CALL to ban cargoes of certain products from areas affected by bluetongue, the debilitating livestock infection, was rejected yesterday by Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan.

She said the management committee of her department’s national disease control centre had looked at the issue of the risk associated with the importation of hay and straw.

“The risk associated is very remote and therefore a ban at this time would be disproportionate to what we are dealing with,” she said.

Ms Coughlan said that while the bluetongue outbreak in England was a very worrying development, she was not going to change the control measures in place.

She was speaking to reporters at the world dairy summit in Dublin, after it was revealed that 11 cases of bluetongue and eight cases of foot and mouth disease have been confirmed by the British authorities.

She said she was concerned that the foot and mouth virus is still virulent within the relevant zone in Surrey, but said she did not propose to change any of the measures previously introduced here.

The ban on live animals and on the importation of uncooked food products and unpasteurised milk products remain in place.

Neither did she intend to change any of the control measures in place for bluetongue.

“There are two ways in which this disease is contracted by animals. One is from an infected midge and, as we have a ban on the importation of live animals from Britain, it is not necessary to have any further impositions prepared. The other way is through the wind,” she said.

Ms Coughlan said she wished to preface all her remarks on the basis that if there are any changes in the foot and mouth or bluetongue issues, the measures in place will be reviewed immediately.

IFA president Pádraig Walshe earlier called for a ban on cargoes from areas affected by bluetongue which harbour insects that transmit the virus. He said the restrictions in place should be extended to cover cargoes such as hay, straw, second-hand machinery, plants and flowers.

“It makes no sense to skimp on precautions at the ports and have to cope with the multi-million euro cost of an outbreak,” he said.

Mr Walsh said the strictest bio-security standards must remain in place at all points of entry on the island of Ireland to protect our animal herd status.

“Our agrifood industry is worth €8 billion in export earnings to the economy and every precaution must be taken to ensure that we can continue to trade,” he said.