Continued vigilance and a state of high alert must be maintained to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth to the Republic, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Joe Walsh said today.
Speaking at a press briefing, Mr Walsh said concerns over the situation in Britain underlined the need to uphold the foot-and-mouth measures in the Republic.
There has been no case of foot-and-mouth in the Republic to date. Over 710 farms have been restricted and 3,500 sheep slaughtered in operations to prevent any spread of the disease into Ireland.
The Minister said today, a number of samples have also been sent for tests as a precautionary measure.
Chief Veterinary Officer Mr Colm Gaynor told the briefing a special committee set up to advise the Minister on controls is meeting today for the first time. He said if the Republic still has an all clear next week the committee will be able to categorise the types of risks and review the measures.
He said then it may be possible to ease the restrictions.
When pressed on the criticisms over the British government’s handling of the outbreak, the Minister expressed his concern at the degree of the outbreak, and the spread and location of the cases in Britain.
Through regular conversations with the British Minister for Agriculture, Mr Nick Brown, Mr Walsh said he was satisfied Britain was doing all it could to restrict the spread of the disease there.
Nine new British cases of foot and mouth disease were confirmed today bringing the total to 173. Yesterday saw the biggest single increase in a day since the outbreak began with the number rising to 164 from 139.
Mr Walsh told the briefing there had been no information on the possibility that all the animals from consignment of sheep from Carlisle to Northern Ireland had not been accounted for.
He said based on the information provided, the department felt it had accounted for all the sheep which crossed the border from the consignment.
The Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Mrs Bríd Rodgers told members of the Northern Ireland Assembly today that some 60 livestock may not yet have been accounted for.
This afternoon officials also said they were investigating a suspect case after a single sheep displaying symptoms was discovered in a slaughter house in Dungannon, Co Tyrone.
So far only one outbreak in the north has been confirmed in the South Armagh area.
When pressed by journalists today about the issue of an amnesty for traders, dealers or farmers who may have brought livestock illegally into the Republic, Mr Walsh said immunity over any matter was the concern of the DDP and he did not have the power to act in this area.