Foot and mouth report critical of DARD response

A report published today has revealed that Northern Ireland's foot and mouth epidemic could have been avoided had there been better policing of sheep imports by the Department of Agriculture.

The survey, by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, also revealed that the farming industry benefited by more than £6m as a consequence of Northern Ireland's foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Four cases were confirmed in the province in March 2001 which were contained within two months and claimed more than 50,000 animals in south Armagh, Ardboe in County Tyrone and Cushendall in the Antrim Glens.

Responding to the report, Bríd Rodgers, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: "We were fortunate to escape the widespread outbreak of FMD which occurred in Britain. I believe that this was due in no small part to the rapid and effective action which we took and to the co-operation which we received from the agricultural industry and wider community.

"However I wanted to ensure that we learned from our experience, both for the future handling of such outbreaks and for our general approach to animal health. This is why I commissioned an independent review.

"I am aware that the report is critical of inadequate controls at ports prior to the outbreak. The need to improve control arrangements had been recognised and we were in the process of putting new arrangements in place early in 2001. While I acknowledge that not all consignments of imported sheep were being checked, the rules on importation were clear.

"The simple fact is that some individuals were determined to break the law, unfortunately with very serious consequences. I have put in place revised control arrangements, as is recognised in the report, to help prevent the introduction of disease to Northern Ireland."

The review also examined the costs associated with controlling the virus in the province. However the impact of the disease was off set by the £6m net gain through a currency compensation package.

(MB)