Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew has briefed the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI) on the response to the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak in England. She has already ordered a ban on the movement of cattle, pigs, goats and sheep from Britain and certain animal products including raw meat and unpasteurised milk are banned. Disinfectant mats are also being placed at ports and airports. Ms Gildernew stressed that everything was being done to keep the disease out of Northern Ireland.
Livestock imports from England to Ireland were halted on 12 September 2007 following the outbreak in Surrey and the priority was to trace imports of livestock from Britain. Veterinary staff worked around the clock to trace and inspect 65 consignments of live animals. However things took a dramatic turn on 23 September with the news that a Highland cow near Ipswich has become the first recorded incident of bluetongue in the UK, a disease which is carried by midges and has killed thousands of animals across Europe. If not contained, bluetongue has the potential to cause far more damage to the farming industry that the present foot-and-mouth outbreak. At the time of going to press there were four confirmed cases in England.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has moved swiftly to stress that bluetongue can not be passed from animal to animal and that the virus poses no risk to humans. They have however urged farmers to look out for symptoms now that the disease has reached the UK. Further information about the clinical signs of bluetongue is outlined in the bluetongue leaflet which is available at www.dard.gov.uk.
