Northern ministers seek beef export ban exemption

European Union officials may give the North special regional status to export beef and other goods following its response to the Surrey foot-and-mouth outbreak, it emerged today.

Stormont Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew was hopeful that officials in Brussels would recognise the joint action taken by the Northern Executive and the Irish Government to protect themselves from foot and mouth following Friday’s outbreak.

She revealed: “We have raised this issue with our counterparts in Defra, with the Irish Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan and I have also spoken to the First and Deputy First Minister (Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness) about it.

“Ian Paisley talked both to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern about it and was on standby to speak to the Agriculture Commissioner in Brussels about it yesterday or today if it was thought we were not going to get this regional export status.

“It is hugely important. We have just had an export ban lifted. We did not want another one.

“I really wanted to protect the industry here and enable them to carry on. Farming has gone through challenging times over the past number of years.

“I am very pleased that we have been able to very quickly take measures to protect them against any further restrictions.”

The North's power sharing ministers have been working closely with their counterparts in the Republic to create a “Fortress Ireland” strategy against foot and mouth disease.

After the outbreak of foot and mouth disease at a farm near Guildford, both administrations in Belfast and Dublin faced an immediate ban on cattle, sheep, goat, and pig imports into the island from Great Britain.

Disinfectant mats were immediately installed at sea ports for vehicles and foot passengers using ferry crossings.

They were also installed at local airports.

Leaflets were also distributed on flights and at ferry terminals issuing advice to passengers on personal disinfection following contact with farm livestock in Britain and giving information about preventative measures.

Shipping companies and airlines also made a series of onboard announcements which were also broadcast in terminal buildings.

The Northern Executive and the Irish Government places no restrictions on the movement of livestock on the island.

Ms Gildernew was commenting as she visited Belfast Port to witness the foot and mouth prevention measures being taken for passengers heading to and from Stranraer in Scotland.

The Sinn Féin Farming Minister said the Department of Agriculture’s contingency plans had worked to the maximum and that it was clear that lessons had been learnt from the 2001 outbreak.

The prevention measures, she said, would remain in place for as long as they needed to be.

She welcomed the co-operation of the farming community and its vigilance.

After it emerged that officials were looking at a laboratory near the farm where the outbreak occurred as a possible source of the virus, Ms Gildernew said it was worrying.

“Obviously it is very worrying for the staff in Pirbright,” the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP said.

“We have labs here and one of my calls was to staff to see what was the likelihood of something like that happening in our labs here.

“It is not the same thing at all. The virus is manufactured at Pirbright which is a world renowned centre for foot and mouth experimentation and research.

“It is very different from our labs here and the public should be assured that there is not any likelihood of it happening here.

“However, there is an investigation ongoing as to how, if it is confirmed, the virus got out.

“It is obviously very worrying and there will need to be a major review of biosecurity and ventilation and all other aspects in the lab.”

The Stormont minister will tomorrow meet the Assembly Agriculture Committee as well as farming organisations, meat exporters, retailers and meat plant representatives to keep them informed about the outbreak and its impact on the industry.