A request that people should avoid travelling to and from Britain as part of measures to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth has been modified by the Department of Agriculture.
Following discussions between the Expert Group advising the Department on the control of the disease and representatives of the tourist industry, the Minister for Agriculture Mr Walsh has accepted the Group’s recommendation that restrictions should only apply to people from a controlled area or those who have come in contact with livestock.
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Restrictions on outdoor activities and events such as visiting heritage sties and public parks where there are no foot-and-mouth-susceptible animals have also been eased.
The Department will contact relevant groups advising them of the modifications to the guidelines but will remind them that disinfectant measures should remain in place.
In relation to tourists from outside the State, the Minister said those travelling to and from urban areas in particular, should observe disease control procedures such as disinfecting themselves and their clothes before travelling but that the Department was no longer asking them not to travel.
However, the Expert Group re-iterated that anyone travelling to or from areas of risk should do so only in extenuating circumstances.
The Group’s recommendations, published on the Department’s website states: “Intending visitors, from the UK and FMD-infected areas who have had contact with susceptible animals or the countryside or who have been in a control area should not travel to Ireland unless there are exceptional circumstances (such as family bereavement).”
The Group says these recommendations also apply to other countries where there is a danger of the disease being carried either to or from Ireland.