The State was still on high alert and would remain so in an attempt to prevent the arrival of foot-and-mouth disease, the Minister for Agriculture said yesterday.
Mr Walsh said that investigations were being carried out at 520 holdings within the State in an attempt to follow up any contact with, or importation of, animals from Britain since February 1st and from Northern Ireland since February 15th.
The permit system for the moving of animals to slaughter was now beginning to operate, and the Minister warned that any breaches of the regulations could result in fines of up to £100,000 or five years' imprisonment.
New regulations brought into force yesterday include the banning of the importation of live animals from France and the preparation of regulations covering transport of horses for breeding and foaling.
Mr Walsh announced that the Attorney General was in the process of preparing legislation to cover sheep-dealers. This would be placed before a meeting of the Cabinet at 8.30 a.m. today and would move through the Dail and Seanad this week.
He praised the work of the security forces on the Border. "It may not be generally known, but four of them have been injured, two quite seriously. One garda was dragged along by a car when the window was closed on his arm", he said.
Mr Colm Gaynor, chief veterinary officer at the Department of Agriculture, said that 520 farms were under restriction, but he emphasised that this was a precautionary measure.
The initial concern had been the Athleague factory in Co Roscommon and, as a result, 58 holdings had been restricted there. Depending on the level of risk, farms had been placed under a 15 or 21-day restriction.
Mr Gaynor pointed out that it was now halfway through the 21-day restriction period. "We are happy that Athleague does not represent the high risk we thought it did", he said.
He confirmed that AIBP in Nenagh was in the clear. The sheep flock in Dunleer had been found to be negative. This was a source which may have sent sheep to Kildare. They had had the full co-operation of the individuals involved and did not now believe the sheep imported from the UK had been killed at Kildare Chilling.
He said initial results from tissue samples from a flock of sheep in Carlow were also negative, and the Department was now satisfied that those sheep were imported on or before January 20th and were not exposed to the disease. A herd in Monasterboice was also negative.
In Mayo, a flock was being slaughtered in the belief that the animals came from Northern Ireland after the risk period.
The Minister said that the situation in France, where sheep had been found to have antibodies, was a worrying development. The best defence against allowing the disease in was to keep the defences up, he added.