Farm leaders support health security measures

FARM leaders from north and south yesterday reiterated the importance of strict biosecurity measures as part of the all-island approach to keeping foot and mouth disease out of Ireland and avoiding an economic disaster.

IFA president Padraig Walshe and Ulster Farmers’ Union leader Kenneth Sharkey came together on the fringes of the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show to deliver their message. They considered the latest developments following the outbreak of the disease last week.

In an agreed joint statement, both presidents said their organisations and members support the measures taken by the Department of Agriculture and Food in Dublin and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Belfast.