The Catholic Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, says the "blatant selfishness" of a few people in their response to the foot-and-mouth crisis is gravely wrong and seriously sinful in his Lenten Letter this weekend.
"We have had the use of banned growth hormones, we have had illegal activity in regard to TB and brucellosis eradication, and we have had breaches in regulations in regard to movement of sheep... One has to ask if some of our meat-processing plants have been acting in co-operation with these illegal activities," he said.
The response of people in general was a deeply Christian one, he said, and had been encouraging, impressive and inspiring. The wider question of care for the environment was one of the most important and challenging issues of the new millennium.