Seriousthreatfrom footandmouth
February 2001
County Wexford’s farms have been declared virtual ‘no-go’ areas by the IFA, underpinning the fight by customs officers and agricultural inspectors at ‘frontline’ Rosslare Harbour to keep dreaded foot and mouth disease from our shores.
‘Other than the border with the north, we’re first in the line of fire here,’ said Adrian King, the IFA’s Regional Manager for the south-east, urging farmers to stay at home and ordinary people to stay off farmlands.
‘Basically, rural farms are no-go areas…farmers should take all precautions on their own movements. We have already spoken to merchants and creameries with regards to disinfecting their vehicles.
‘What we’re basically telling farmers is to stay at home…to walking groups, hunts, people exercising their dogs, we would be grateful if they would stay off farmland, in view of the seriousness of the situation.’
Mr King said that despite all the precautions, he believed there was only a 50-50 chance to keeping the epidemic out, given the level of business contact with Britain, where the virus has reached epidemic proportions, and its ready access via the busy Rosslare Europort, Ireland’s gateway to Europe.
In a sign of the growing seriousness of the situation, Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh temporarily suspended all cattle marts.
Customs officers and Department of Agriculture inspectors are laboriously checking every car and truck coming off the ferries at Rosslare Europort, with passengers only allowed to disembark after walking through disinfectant mats and the undersides of cars and lorries being sprayed.
But given that the initial outbreak in Britain went unreported for up to two weeks, the fear is that the highly contagious disease could have already been brought in, although so far there is no evidence to suggest it has been.
‘We have to remember the most recent outbreak in Wales is not much further away from Wexford town than Carlow is. We’re shivering in our boots now,’ said Mr King.
‘If it comes here, it will devastate the whole business, co-ops, marts, and their ability to get paid. It would substantially change farming as we know it.’