Import warning over bluetongue

FARMERS were again advised yesterday not to import livestock under any circumstances because of the bluetongue threat.

Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan also confirmed that she and her officials were in close contact with their northern counterparts to maintain an all-island approach.

Meanwhile, new draft proposals by the European Commission will be discussed at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) in Brussels on March 31.

Ms Coughlan said she had noted these draft proposals in response to her consistently stated criticism of the adequacy of existing conditions under which live animals are allowed to be moved from bluetongue-restricted areas, which Ireland had opposed.

Ms Coughlan said she is determined to maintain Ireland’s disease-free status and any proposed restrictions would need to be considered in this regard.

She said she had introduced import control measures last month, suspending the importation of certain cattle and sheep from restricted zones.

Ms Coughlan said she would review these unilateral measures introduced by Ireland in the context of any EU amendments made.

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association meanwhile described the current EU rules regarding the prevention of bluetongue as both impractical and illogical.

Beef and Cattle Committee chairman Martin McMahon said the rules need urgent review to ensure effective controls are in place. Mr McMahon called for a preventative vaccination to be considered as soon as it becomes available.

Mr McMahon said the rules need to be reviewed as a matter of priority to ensure effective controls can be put in place to tackle the disease.

He said bluetongue, if it arrives in Ireland, will not only lead to considerable movement- restrictions, but also lead to livestock mortality, poor animal health and performance.

He called for stronger defences against bluetongue in the whole of Ireland. In this context, he said, preventative vaccination for the disease should be considered as soon as the vaccine becomes available.

“And we should be able to carry through this preventive measure without being disadvantaged by the EU,” he said.