Different levels of measures against foot-and-mouth disease were evident North and South of the Border yesterday.
While authorities on both sides agreed on the difficulty of "sealing" the Border, gardai and Department of Agriculture personnel mounted an impressive cordon throughout Cos Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim and Donegal.
On the main route south from Newry to Dublin, gardai ensured that all vehicles passed through two separate disinfectant facilities north and south of Dundalk town. Measures included inspecting the inside of lorries, vans and car boots.
All vehicles drove through a disinfectant bath, and drivers were asked to step out of their vehicles to wipe their feet. Department of Agriculture personnel sprayed vehicles with disinfectant. Vehicles also had to drive over disinfectant mats.
While the facilities on the Southern side for vehicles travelling North were less stringent, mats were in place and spraying was available.
In the course of a day-long tour of Border crossings The Irish Times failed to find a route that was not manned by a Garda checkpoint and Department of Agriculture personnel.
By contrast, the measures in the North seemed less thorough. Traffic entering the North from the South was sprayed but not traffic travelling in the other direction.
The personnel from the Rivers Agency of the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland were not accompanied by the RUC and did not appear to be inspecting the interiors of vehicles.
Many Border crossings on smaller roads did not feature personnel from the Northern authorities at all.
There appeared to be no preventive measures on the northern approaches to the Border town of Cullaville, nor in the town itself. All roads to the South featured disinfectant measures set up by authorities in the Republic. It appeared that checkpoints were in place on the southern side of all cross-Border roads between Co Monaghan and Co Armagh.
At Aughnacloy, major disinfectant facilities had been put in place by authorities North and South, but traffic delays of up to one hour were being reported by mid-afternoon.
There were no personnel from the Northern agencies visible on the road from Clones, Co Monaghan, to Co Cavan, although the road crosses the Border several times. Again the Southern authorities were present.
Near Redhills, Co Cavan, gardai pursued the occupants of a Dutch-registered car on suspicion that its occupants had walked across a field from a fishing boat.
Between Co Cavan and Co Fermanagh the scene was now familiar. A checkpoint at the Aghalane bridge on the N3 in Co Cavan was not mirrored by another on the A509 north of the Border. A similar situation existed at the Border crossing at Ballyconnell, Co Cavan.
The Shannon-Erne waterway, which links cruising traffic between the Fermanagh lakes and the Shannon navigation, was open, and there did not appear to be any special precautions in operation. A Waterways Ireland spokesman was not available last night.