Fears of bankruptcy loom after Irish foot-and-mouth outbreak
Bankruptcy loomed for tourism interests close to the Irish border today as the slaughter of farm animals was intensified following confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease in Co Louth.
The huge cull of sheep, cattle and pigs that began yesterday within hours of the virus being detected could involve as many as 40,000 animals in the region.
The Irish Department of Agriculture said no other animals in the area of the confirmed case were currently showing systems of foot-and-mouth.
Police and department officials were today probing the source of the outbreak, against a background of the belief that the infected sheep originated in the Irish Republic and not either Northern Ireland or Britain.
But the Agriculture Ministry’s Aiden Murray said that so far there were no clues about the cause of the disease in Louth although the possibility of it being airborne had not been ruled out.
Mr Murray also reported that the carcasses of slaughtered animals would be disposed of in a currently redundant meat rendering plant.
Burning the remains in the open, British-style, was not a preferred option at the present stage.
The Irish Farmers’ Association and Teagasc, the Dublin government-backed food advisory body, established special telephone help lines to counsel and support those farmers and their families most closely caught up in the crisis.
But while the agriculture industry was bound to be the hardest hit by foot-and-mouth, tourism and other local businesses were also set to suffer.
Louth councillor and farmer Declan Breathnach said the whole area was still devastated at yesterday’s turn of events.
‘‘It’s like a death in the family around here. People are already experiencing financial problems. We shall have to be treated as a special region from an investment viewpoint in both the farming and the tourism sector.’’
Tom McArdle, who runs the Carlingford Adventure Centre, in the heart of Louth’s Cooley peninsular, where the outbreak was confirmed, said: ‘‘This is disastrous. The livelihoods of all farmers is at risk, and tourism has also to be taken into account.
‘‘Our premises are now completely empty - we have had nine cancellations since yesterday. But this is a national thing now.
‘‘Possible bankruptcy is the problem now.’’
Meanwhile, on the broader economic front, traders on Dublin’s stock exchange were today assessing the impact of a 5% overall drop in prices sparked by yesterday’s development in Co Louth.
Food, travel and holiday companies were hardest hit, and left pinning their hopes on stock recovery as the effects of the initial shock were eroded.
John Tyrell, director general of the Irish Co-operative Society, which co-ordinates sections of the Irish agri-food industry, said: ‘‘If we get Co Louth regionalisation for exports confirmed, some of the worst effects can be mitigated.
‘‘The rest of the country will be less seriously affected. We have taken all the proper precautions to ensure the disease will not spread.
‘‘But there is going to be an impact in broader terms.’’
Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, whose shares slumped like those of other airlines, said: ‘‘We have had foot and mouth in the UK for weeks and we have seen little impact on our business.
‘‘People seem to be flying regardless and I would ascribe that to the fact that they are travelling between cities. But clearly we would like to see it sorted out. Business would undoubtedly be better.’’
