The Department of Agriculture and Food confirmed yesterday it is monitoring the sale of the pesticide Cypermethrin here following reports that it has been used illegally as a dip for sheep in Wales.
The arable form of Cypermethrin - six times cheaper than sheep dip, which contains low levels of the chemical - could disrupt the human hormone system and has caused a major alert in Wales, where health and environmental officials are investigating.
The product Toppel 10, which was particularly popular, has never been tested on animals and could be damaging to the sheep and farmer.
The arable formula has a high aquatic toxicity and observers in Wales fear farmers negligent about the use and disposal of the chemical have contaminated local rivers, prompting concern for the ecology, including the water supply.
The environment agency believes chemical contamination may be responsible for a decline in insects around the river Teifi in west Wales, which is having a serious effect on salmon and trout, both of which feed on insects. It is feared that parts of the river Usk might have suffered similar damage
The chairman of the Irish Farmers Association's national sheep committee, Mr Laurence Fallon, doubted if Irish sheep farmers were using the product illegally. "I would just advise all sheep farmers to use only approved products, abide by the withdrawal time and dispose of the dips used in an environmentally-sensitive manner," he said.