Cowen backs plans for all-Ireland approach to foot-and-mouth crisis

Irish foreign minister Brian Cowen tonight backed plans for an all-Ireland approach to animal health issues.

He supported an idea considered by farm leaders from both sides of the border this week.

Mr Cowen, speaking at an Institute of Directors function in Dublin, said he was encouraged by the shared views of the Ulster Farmers’ Union and their Irish Farmers’ Association counterparts.

The minister declared: ‘‘The sad events of recent weeks have made it abundantly clear why an island-wide approach to animal health is vital to ensure the economic well-being of our people.’’

He said there had been a tradition for many years of strong technical co-operation between the agriculture departments on both sides of the border.

‘‘When the current crisis has abated and we can turn our minds to longer-term perspectives, it would - in my view - be timely for a serious examination, in consultation with all the interested parties, of the merits and feasibility of a single, all-island policy for animal health.’’