IFA President Francie Gorman said the confirmation of a case of Bluetongue in Co Down is very disappointing.
He said everybody in farming had worked very diligently to avoid this scenario over the last 18 months since the virus was first detected in England.
“Farmers are actively playing their part in monitoring livestock for any signs of the disease and reporting any suspicions to their vets and the Department,” he said.
The IFA President said the Department of Agriculture must work closely with DAERA in NI to contain this outbreak.
Francie Gorman said most EU Member States with BTV 3 have overcome the issues with live exports through bilateral trade arrangements. The Department of Agriculture must immediately move to have trade from Ireland facilitated should BTV 3 be found here. We cannot have any disruption for this vital trade.
IFA Animal Health Chair TJ Maher said it is critical everything is done to prevent this disease from spreading.
“At this time of year, vector activity is low which creates potential for the disease to be contained and eradicated. Trade disruption and potential production losses on farms would impact directly and solely on farmers, if the disease spreads.”
IFA had called on the Department throughout the year to have vaccines available for emergency use and have them in stock should farmers need to use them.
He said the Department of Agriculture must immediately move to have BTV 3 vaccines licensed and available for use.
