As fears that foot-and-mouth disease may have broken out again in Britain eased yesterday, with initial negative results on two tests taken from sheep in Yorkshire, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, warned of the need to be vigilant.
"The UK alert demonstrates the importance and continuing need to keep in place our enhanced precautionary measures and our movement controls on livestock," said Mr Walsh.
He said some of the control measures were questioned in recent times but the British alert should have made it clear just how necessary these were. There was far too much at stake and "we are not going to forget the lessons learned last year."
Biosecurity and other enhanced precautionary measures remain in place at ports and airports in Ireland. In addition a 30-day holding period applies to movement of animals after purchase and this will remain in place.
Trade in live animals with Northern Ireland continues to operate under a more regulated regime than that which operated prior to foot-and-mouth disease. The Department was also continuing to maintain close liaison with the Northern Ireland authorities in relation to controls on traffic and goods entering the island of Ireland through ports and airports in that jurisdiction.
The Minister pointed out that a range of other controls, such as sheep-tagging and the control of livestock dealers, were now a permanent feature and the Department was keeping a close eye on developments in Britain and was on standby to take additional measures at short notice.
The British Environment Secretary, Mrs Margaret Beckett, described the foot-and-mouth scare in North Yorkshire as a "useful warning" against complacency.
Initial test results on two sheep found with lesions in their mouths were negative for foot-and-mouth and the results of secondary tests will not be known for several days. The sheep at the farm in Hawnby, near Thirsk in North Yorkshire have been destroyed.
Mrs Beckett said the cases demonstrated that Britain was "not out of the woods and we have to keep up our guard."
The North's Agriculture Minister, Ms Bríd Rodgers, expressed relief at the negative preliminary results but urged local farmers to remain vigilant.
Ms Rodgers said the suspect case was a timely reminder that the threat still existed, especially at the beginning of the lambing season.
Meanwhile, officials confirmed that 274 Irish-registered sheep, which were turned away from France, will be returned to Waterford when weather conditions allow.