New EU Bluetongue Proposal; Minister Coughlan Responds

Written by John McDonagh
Friday, 21 March 2008
Today Mary Coughlan T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, noted new draft proposals from the EU Commission with regard to bluetongue, in response to her constant criticism of the adequacy of the current conditions under which live animals are allowed to be transported from bluetongue-restricted areas, which Ireland had opposed. Minister Coughlan said that she and her colleagues had been pushing the Commission to make every effort to make sure that the countries free of bluetongue continue to be free from disease and the newest proposals from the Commission should be viewed in this context. Minister Mary Coughlan further stated that her continued determination, and that of her Department, was to keep Ireland's disease-free status and added that the proposed restrictions on the importation of animals from bluetongue-restricted zones would have to be seen in this regard. The Minister said that, after her introduction of import control measures last month, suspending the importation of certain sheep and cattle from restricted areas of Bluetongue, she had again pressed the Commission to consider amending the conditions under which livestock may be exported from bluetongue-restricted zones due to the then emerging information. Minister Coughlan noted that she would review those unilateral measures introduced by Ireland in the context of any changes made to the EU trading conditions, based on the recent Commission proposals. A meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) will be held in Brussels on Monday 31st March to discuss the latest proposals. Meanwhile, Minister Mary Coughlan reiterated her advice to farmers not to import livestock under any circumstances. She also confirmed that she and her officials were keeping very close contact with the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development of Northern Ireland, Michelle Gildernew, and her officials in the maintenance of an all-island approach to the dangers posed by the possibilty of the spread of bluetongue throughout Europe and Britain.

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