Officials probe overseas link to swamp fever scare

OFFICIALS from the Department of Agriculture confirmed they travelled to an overseas destination while investigating the source of the equine swamp fever outbreak in Ireland last year.

A department spokesman confirmed yesterday officials travelled “late last year”.

He said: “Since June, we have been investigating the source of this outbreak and, as part of that investigation, officials spoke to colleagues overseas late last year.”

It is suspected the outbreak of equine infectious anaemia (EIA) stemmed from the illegal importation of blood plasma from Italy. It is possible the plasma originated at slaughter facilities processing horses from Eastern Europe, where EIA — known as swamp fever — is a major problem.

It is expected a file will be presented to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

To date, 28 cases of swamp fever have been confirmed in what was Ireland’s first incidence of the potentially fatal virus, a huge threat to the multi-million euro bloodstock industry.

All 28 horses were put down. Indications are the outbreak was contained. The department analysed 32,000 blood samples and 18,000 more will be tested in the next three months.

Tackling the outbreak has cost €100,000 so far.

The disease concentrated in Meath/Kildare/Dublin with incidences in Limerick, Wexford and Derry.

The outbreak led to the closure for four weeks in July of Troytown Equine Hospital in Co Kildare, after the first horse recognised as having the disease — a mare admitted to the hospital — was put down in June.

A partner at Troytown, Warren Schofield, stressed yesterday the hospital has “never imported illegal plasma”. “We were totally innocent victims,” he said.

In the case of 14 horses that contracted the disease at Troytown, it was possible the virus was transmitted by air from the mare.