Wider cull as Irish fight disease

23 March 2001



Wider cull as Irish fight disease

By FWi staff

IRELAND is stepping up its cull of cloven-hooved livestock as it seeks to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth in its tracks.

The country reported its first case of the disease yesterday in a sheep flock near Jenkinstown on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth.

The farm was within the exclusion zone already set up following an earlier outbreak just a few miles away in Northern Ireland.

All sheep (650) and cattle (150) on seven holdings owned by the same farming family on the peninsula were slaughtered on Thursday (22 March).

On Friday, the cull moves on to all farms within 1km of these holdings, which will seal the fate of about 3000 sheep and 1000 cattle.

The animals are being slaughtered and rendered at a meat factory in Ravensdale. “We do not have a policy of open burning,” said a Department of Agriculture spokesman.

Next to go will be an estimated 13,000 sheep within a 3km zone of the infected units, though a decision on whether to take out the cows as well is under review.

“It is important we get on top of this outbreak at the very start,” said farm minister, Joe Walsh.

“If further slaughterings are necessary, this course of action will be taken.”

Dublin has also extended the exclusion zone, which bans all animal movements, even for slaughter, to cover much of County Louth.

The European commission in Brussels has also moved into action, banning the export of all live susceptible species, plus their ova, sperm and embryos, from the Republic.

Also, sales of fresh meat and meat products, unpasteurised milk and milk products and untreated skins from the county of Louth are banned.

These restrictions apply until 4 April, though they will be reviewed by the standing veterinary committee in Brussels next week.

The same EU vets are meeting today to consider a precautionary vaccination policy in the Netherlands, which had three foot and mouth cases earlier this week.

Forty two cases of foot-and-mouth were confirmed on Thursday in the UK, taking the total to 480.

These included 13 cases in Cumbria, five in Dumfries and Galloway and Devon, four in County Durham and Gloucestershire, and three in Staffordshire and Powys.

There were two new cases in Northumberland, and single cases in Lancashire, Tyne & Wear and Worcestershire.