Farmers rally to save Vet Lab
FARMERS FROM 9 COUNTIES PROTESTED AGAINST THE POSSIBLE CLOSURE OF SLIGO’S REGIONAL VETERINARY LAB
HUNDREDS of farmers from all over the border counties rallied to the cause of Sligo Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Dunally last Wednesday to protest against its possible closure.
“I had a look down from the trailer and I think there were nine county banners. They realise the importance of this lab to each of their counties,” said Sligo IFA Chairman JP Cowley, speaking afterwards.
“This is a cog in the wheel of the farming community and instead of closing this lab, put money into this lab,” he told The Sligo Champion.
He was among several speakers from the farming sector who spoke to almost 400 farmers at the Dunally lab. Department of Agriculture officials met with farming representatives before the protest but did not offer any reassurance that the lab would be kept open.
One of the options they’re considering is closing three regional labs, including Sligo, and creating a larger centralised lab in Athlone or Dublin.
“I asked them when would this review end and they weren’t able to tell me. It’s an open- ended situation. All we can do is fight. We’ll go to Leinster House if we have to,” added Cowley.
Former lab employee for 39 years and parttime farmer Seamus Cummins saw for himself exactly what the Sligo Vet Lab meant to farmers.
“People came here under pressure, they were losing animals and they didn’t know where to turn to until eventually the vet sent them here.
“I saw the anguish on people who came here. Lots of times it was the farmer’s wives who came along with their animals, often with children in the back of the car. It was their livelihood. I’d hate to see it close. I don’t want to see it go,” he said, after collecting hundreds of signatures outside his former workplace.
Liam Feeney’s late father was one of the first employees of the lab: “Fifty years ago he was the first man to walk through those doors. It’s a disgrace, where are we going to go?” he wondered.
“People just will not bring carcasses to Dublin or Athlone. They won’t bother their heads. I use it for sampling the worm or fluke content in my livestock because we’d be in a flukey area anyway in Glencar. Every single animal on my farm that dies, I want to know why they die,” he added.
Vincent Roddy of the Irish Natura and Hillfarmers Association says the situation is “quite worrying.”
“Even after meeting them there now there is still no decision. If there was an indication they were going to change their mind they might have indicated it hear today so that would concern you,” he told this newspaper.
“What they’re proposing as a solution ( if Sligo lab is closed) is a pick- up service - that’s not going to work,” he said.
He believes the basis for the Department’s review is flawed: “Quite simply, we in Ireland and good at copying models in other countries. In dairying we looked at the New Zealand model. In health we looked at the Dutch model and in this I think it’s the Belgian model.
“The Dutch model hasn’t really worked. The New Zealand model isn’t really working and this isn’t going to work either. The other thing that was looked at here as well, in 2001 in the Foot and Mouth outbreak this lab did a lot of good work and that is very important,” he said.
Chairman of Leitrim IFA James Gallagher also highlighted the lab’s role as a bulwark against major disease outbreaks.
“With Brexit coming down the road, as it stands we’re going to have a hard closed border. Wildlife doesn’t respect borders so we could have a disease outbreak similar to Foot and Mouth again here so we need somewhere that can test locally and ringfence an area to protect our agriculture industry,” he said.
National IFA Sheep Chairman John Lynskey also pointed out that almost a third of the nation- al flock lies in the catchment area of the Sligo lab: “There’s huge issues at lambing time with both disease and problems with minerals. It’s vital that this service is kept here, that works in the area and knows the problems of the area. We’ll have to fight to maintain it. That’s our priority. We’re not giving up,” he said.
Seamus Quinn was among a bus full of Donegal farmers who travelled down to the protest.
“Some of my fellow farmers would be 180 miles from here. If they close this our next port of call would be Athlone and it’s not a service that’s going to be used widely by guys 180 miles away. We need this maintained at all costs,” he said.