The Department of Agriculture's Expert Advisory Group on foot-and-mouth will meet with Minister Walsh on Monday to issue their recommendations on the lifting of animal movement restrictions.
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Earlier the group met with officials from the IFAwho are calling for a relaxing of restrictions following the EU's restoration of the Republic's foot-and-mouth free status. The IFA presented detailed protocols for the relaxation on restrictions on animal movements to the advisory group. The protocols would enable the movement of pedigree bulls and breeding stock immediately, as well as animal movements within farms.
IFA president, Mr Tom Parlon, said that the group had accepted there were tough pressures on farmers and they would consider everything from a technical point of view and the pressures for farmers at ground level.
He added that there was an urgent need to scale down the tight internal restrictions on animal movements and concentrate on our perimeter defences at the border, ports and airports.
"The pressure building on farms from the FMD restrictions over the last nine weeks has now reached crisis point on many farms with fodder used up," said Mr Parlon.
The IFA are also calling for the re-commencement of TB and brucellosis testing which will in many cases be necessary before movement of breeding animals such as bulls.