Call for people not to attend races

As emergency legislation begins in the Seanad today to deal with rogue livestock dealers and traders, the Taoiseach reiterated that "no one from here or anywhere else" should go to the Cheltenham race festival.

Mr Ahern said he could not understand why anyone would still want to run in Cheltenham. This was not just another race meeting, he said, "which would be bad enough, but it is almost on top of an exclusion zone". He said Britain's Minister for Agriculture had told him he believed Cheltenham would not go ahead.

The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, said the legislation would give "swingeing new powers to authorised officers". Those powers would be used to pursue those who through "reckless self-interest put the economic and social fabric of the country at risk through illegal activities".

Deputies criticised the very "lackadaisical" approach by British authorities to preventing the spread of the disease. Mr Walsh said the Taoiseach had spoken to the British Prime Minister earlier and expressed anxiety about these matters, particularly sporting events. Mr Walsh said he would also be talking to his British counterpart, Mr Nick Brown.

He stressed that every effort was being made to ensure the disease did not enter the State. Some 567 farms in the Republic were under restriction, but to date there had been no confirmed case or even any case where clinical signs were present.

He also rejected as "downright untrue" remarks by the DUP MP, the Rev Willie McCrea, that foot-and-mouth was in the Republic and that the Department was covering this up.

There was no "substance or foundation" to those allegations, he said.

The Minister pointed out that blood and tissue samples were taken from each suspect animal slaughtered and sent to the international reference laboratory in Surrey. "I am sure Rev McCrea is confident about and satisfied with the activities of that institution."

There were lessons to be learned from the crisis but Mr Walsh assured the Dail the EU Commission-approved contingency plan the Department had put in place was working efficiently.