Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has rejected a call to ban straw, hay and farm machinery from Britain to prevent the spread of bluetongue and foot-and-mouth disease in the Republic.
This had been sought at the weekend by Irish Farmers' Association president Pádraig Walshe, who wanted these items banned from areas hit by the disease in Britain.
"We did look at the risk associated with the importation of hay and straw, but the risk associated is very remote and, therefore, a ban at this time would be disproportionate," Ms Coughlan told a press conference in Dublin yesterday.
The Minister said she prefaced all her remarks on the basis that if there were any changes in the situation regarding bluetongue or foot-and-mouth, these would be reviewed immediately.
She said the department's disease control centre committee had met yesterday morning and discussed the problems associated with the outbreaks in Britain.
Ms Coughlan added that the British department of agriculture had confirmed an eighth outbreak of the disease there on Sunday night. "On the basis of my expert group meeting today and following consultations with my veterinary experts we are going to remain on high alert.
"We are very concerned, particularly on the basis that the virus is still alive and virulent within the zone," she said.
But Ms Coughlan added that there were not going to be any additional changes to the measures already in place as the ban on live animals, the importation of uncooked food products and milk products which had not been pasteurised would remain in place.
The Minister said the arrival of blue-tongue there was "a very worrying development" but she was not going to change any of the control measures already in place.