Threat of disease puts trade in danger
Irish agriculture could be facing its most serious threat since the foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001 following an outbreak of Bluetongue in Northern Ireland.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DARD) in the North confirmed that a cow that had been imported on to a farm in North Antrim tested positive for the disease, which affects cattle and sheep.
While the result of the Bluetongue test was only returned last Thursday, a DARD spokesperson said that the animal had been brought in from Holland in January.
This will cause serious concern in farming circles as it increases the risk that other livestock in the herd may have been infected with the disease.
The North's Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew insisted that the province's "Bluetongue-free" status remained intact despite the positive test on the imported animal.
Minister Gildernew said the infected cow had been destroyed and the herd involved had been restricted, with all the animals being tested for the disease.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Food Mary Coughlan said Department officials would continue to liaise with their counterparts in the North and would closely monitor developments.
The minister confirmed that all cattle and sheep recently imported from Northern Ireland that were not destined for immediate slaughter would be traced and tested for Bluetongue. In addition, Minister Coughlan insisted that the Department would apply any additional controls considered necessary to mitigate any increased risk from the spread of the disease.
Bluetongue affects cattle, sheep, goats and deer -- it cannot be transmitted to humans. As it is spread by midges, the disease has proven very difficult to control. It was initially reported in Holland in 2006, but has since spread across northern Europe from France to Poland.
The disease is prevalent in more than 70 herds in England. An outbreak of the disease in the Republic could have serious consequences for the country's live export trade, which is worth nearly €145m annually.
While blood-tested cattle and calves can travel from Bluetongue-infected areas, Spanish and Italian buyers have prefered Irish stock because of the country's Bluetongue-free status. Any change in that status could put the trade in jeopardy.
The disease would also cause major disruption to normal farming activity, as restricted zones would have to be operated around infected holdings. Movement of livestock in and out of these zones would be tightly controlled. A voluntary ban on the import of livestock from countries infected with Bluetongue has been called for by IFA president Padraig Walshe.
Department of Agriculture officials have stopped short of endorsing such a move, however. Minister Coughlan urged farmers to "consider very carefully" the potential risks of importing cattle from Bluetongue-affected areas.
- Declan O'Brien
