The Taoiseach has said today the Government wants to operate its own foot-and-mouth disinfectant checks at British ports to keep the disease out of the State, and that agreement on such an arrangement was almost finalised.
Mr Ahern said the Government was negotiating with the British about Irish teams taking over disinfectant procedures at ferry ports.
"We are in discussions with them about Irish contractors ... of putting our people into the British ports to do the job.
"Because we have failed, even though this has gone on since February 21, to get them (the British) to do it," he said.
Mr Ahern had discussions about the foot-and-mouth crisis with British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair at a recent EU summit in Sweden and he revealed there are ongoing tensions between the two governments about enforcement of regulations at ports and controlling the spread of the virus.
"We are looking at a situation that the only way we think we can fully protect the ports from the UK into this country is to do it ourselves," he said.
"We have now offered, in absence of them spraying, that we will do it ourselves and pay for it ourselves."
Mr Ahern said disinfectant checks had improved at ports in Northern Ireland.
"But we had great difficulty doing that. My main source of argument with Tony Blair is with the British ports and we have still that difficulty."
Only one outbreak of the disease - the first for 60 years - has been confirmed in the State. The total of confirmed cases in Britain stands at 1,102.
Mr Ahern also warned that port checks and internal disinfectant procedures and other controls around the country would have to remain for whole of the summer.
He said all visitor attractions and sporting events would be resuming by the end of the month.
"It is quite clear that the tourist industry is going to have difficulties. It is a £4 billion industry employing 135,000 people. So we are going to put a number of measures in place to promote it. But it is going to be a difficult summer."
Mr Ahern strongly attacked livestock smugglers, saying the only disease outbreaks north and south of the Irish border had resulted from the same flock of illegally imported sheep from Britain.
He described the smugglers as "bully-boys" who were involved in criminal activity including illegal fuel and other imports.
"They have a culture that they seem to think that this is their God-given right. Of course they are bully-boys as well as criminals who seem to be able to use force and terrorise people from being able to speak."
Hesaid the smugglers were also connected with terrorist organisations operating on the border. "We will have to take far tougher action on this."
AFP
