The State must "be on the highest state of alert" to prevent foot-and-mouth disease as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise in the UK, a veterinary expert has warned.
Prof P.J. Quinn, professor of veterinary microbiology and parasitology in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at UCD, said there continued to be a steady increase in confirmed cases in the UK.
"The trend is upwards and I think it will continue upwards for at least a week," he predicted - this necessitated more than ever "vigilance at all times" in the Republic, he said.
The chief veterinary officer in the UK, Mr Jim Scudamore, yesterday warned farmers the crisis is going to last "a long time". Yesterday afternoon there were 107 confirmed cases in the UK.
Eleven of these were confirmed yesterday. On Wednesday, 15 outbreaks were confirmed, the second highest number in one day. These included outbreaks in four previously unaffected counties.
Earlier this week Mr Scud amore said he was confident the epidemic was not out of control, despite its continued spread, as every confirmed case had been traced to the original outbreak at Heddon-on-the-Wall in Northumberland.
Prof Quinn does not share the optimistic view that all outbreaks can be traced. The problem is the disease spreads extremely fast, on animals, vehicles, meat, food products, footwear and clothing.
"There is evidence that, in at least one instance, human intervention was involved" in spreading the virus in the UK, he said.
Before the spread of the disease can be said to have peaked, Prof Quinn says a gradual decline in the number of confirmed cases must be seen. The 15 confirmed cases on Wednesday may not indicate a peak.
There were concerns over the thoroughness of control measures in the UK, he noted. The negative aspect of the current slaughtering policy was some animals transported for destruction may be incubating the disease, although they may not be showing clinical signs. They would be shedding the virus on to the vehicles.
Rescheduling the Cheltenham festival to April was "a bit optimistic", he said, as he did not think there would be "a sufficient decline in the number of outbreaks" to be reassured. When the outbreaks decline, there needed to be a period of several weeks or, better still, a month before horses travel, he said.
He said he had concerns about the way horses may be transported. The vehicles may have been previously used for other susceptible animals. And bedding or straw may harbour the virus shed by other animals.
Dr Philip Duffus, of Bristol Veterinary School, said concerns over a further cancellation of Cheltenham would be better addressed at the end of next week when it should be known if the disease was dying down.
If the disease did not die down by then, there was a danger in transporting horses from the State to Cheltenham. "But even if there is only a small degree of danger, why risk it?"
Dr Bob Ward of the University of Liverpool's Veterinary Faculty, said he believed "it is too early to be gloomy" about the prospect of the crisis escalating in Britain.
On the Cheltenham festival, he said: "People from farms will not be going. The farming fraternity will stay at home" - by April the crisis may have "quietened down".
People contemplating bringing a horse to the races should "assess their local risk". He said horses, which cannot contract the disease but can transmit it on their coats (like humans can on their clothes), should not be brought back to cattle farms.
And if they do travel, people should ensure their horseboxes are completely washed and cleaned.