It is likely that new restrictions on cattle movement will be necessary because of the growing incidence of brucellosis among Irish dairy herds, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Mr Ned O'Keeffe, said. In response to suggestions that Ireland's official status as brucellosis-free was under threat, Mr O'Keeffe said there was "no denying the situation is serious and deteriorating". On November 1st, 323 brucellosis herds were restricted under EU regulations, while a number of other herds were "restricted as a precautionary measure", he said.
If a new pre-movement test was necessary it would be a 30-day one. It was his view that such an unpopular measure was likely. But this would be subject to the findings of farmer representatives and veterinary interests under the Animal Health Forum, which had been asked by the Department to consider tomorrow what measures were now necessary.
The growing incidence had already led to the introduction of increased testing of lactating cattle, a new education programme for farmers and more extensive investigations of the disease by Department scientists.
It was intended to revamp the compensation regime for farmers to encourage them to buy cattle from reliable sources, to confine purchases to animals shown to be brucellosis-free and to test cattle within 30 days of purchase.
The Fine Gael spokesman on agriculture, Mr Hugh Coveney, said the number of brucellosis cases was such that the limit may have been reached or perhaps exceeded by now. He said the country's brucellosis-free status was under immediate threat.