Foot-and-mouth emergency team

Co Galway has set up an emergency response committee to deal with the threat posed by foot-and-mouth. The committee is chaired by Mr Brendan Heneghan, chief agricultural officer with Teagasc, and includes representatives of the Garda, the Department of Agriculture, farming organisations, Galway County Council, veterinary practitioners, livestock marts, agribusiness interests and the Western Health Board.

The committee has reported a "huge response" to the emergency on the part of farmers and the public and said disinfection mats are "very much in evidence" at farm entrances.