The easing of some foot-and-mouth restrictions on sporting, leisure and agricultural activities has been widely welcomed by tourism, farming and other interests as the Easter Holiday period approaches.
Subject to very strict conditions, racing will resume on April 16th in Leopardstown and Mallow. Normal racing fixtures can resume on April 19th if there are no further outbreaks of the disease North or South.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, said that, subject to very strict conditions, other activities such as importing breeding mares from countries not affected by foot-and-mouth, would be allowed. This excludes Britain, but mares can be imported under permit from Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, gardai investigating the only outbreak of the disease in the Republic, at Proleek, Co Louth, impounded a lorry they suspect may have been used to smuggle sheep across the Border.
The Minister for Tourism, Dr McDaid, said the tourism industry would take heart from our success so far in confining the disease.
He said the announcement enhanced the reassuring message that "Ireland is open for business", Mr Walsh also eased restrictions on the movement of fodder, said marts would be assembly points for animals travelling from farms for slaughter and said artificial insemination services could resume from April 16th.
The lorry impounded in Co Louth is registered to an address in Northern Ireland but may have been used by a smuggler based in north Co Louth, local security sources said. He has no convictions.
The possibility that he may have used the lorry and brought sheep from Meigh into the Republic, possibly to Co Louth, has not been ruled out. It was impounded in another man's yard just north of Dundalk.
The alleged smuggler has been interviewed by detectives and Department officials. They believe there is a connection between the outbreak at Meigh in south Armagh and the one in Co Louth.