CLA alert issued to sheep owners

Sheep flock owners were urged yesterday to be more alert in order to prevent the spread of CLA, a bacterial disease.

CLA does not represent a risk to consumers, but it can cause considerable economic losses in sheep flocks due to poor weight gain, lower wool yields and reproductive inefficiency, as well as devaluation of hides and condemnation of carcases at slaughter.

Minister of State Liam Aylward said there are grounds for believing there is substantial under-reporting. The available evidence suggests the disease is common in many flocks.

Having reviewed the current policy, he said it had been decided to retain the categorisation of CLA as a Class A disease.

The legal requirement on flockowners and others to notify the Department of suspect cases is also being retained. However, flocks will not be automatically restricted on notification.

Minister Aylward urged flockowners to increase vigilance and to take steps to avoid bringing sheep infected with CLA into their flocks. He said the primary responsibility for tackling this disease and the most effective means of doing so rests with the sheep sector itself.

"I would like to see farming bodies, breed societies and flock owners themselves encouraging greater effort in this area," he said. Minister Aylward said greater vigilance and particular care in sourcing and buying sheep would do a great deal in this regard.