Restrictions on bluetongue imports are welcomed
IFA president Padraig Walshe said the minister should also address the dangers attached to high-risk cargo, and unsusceptible animals, from bluetongue-restricted zones, and put in place bio-security at all points of entry.
Female cattle aged over 12 months, and female sheep aged over six months, cannot be imported from bluetongue-restricted zones. This does not include importation of cattle or sheep from Northern Ireland, where bluetongue-free status remains in place, because the virus disease detected in the past couple of weeks did not circulate.In the Republic, routine tests of 512 imported animals revealed that 24 animals in one consignment had been exposed to bluetongue, but were now free of the virus, had developed a natural immunity, and were not a threat to animal health.
