Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. Will he outline the specific steps the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is taking to prevent the spread of the Schmallenberg virus, which is currently affecting livestock in parts of England and elsewhere in Europe, to Ireland? Since the 1990s the livestock industry has been affected by several diseases, including the bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE, outbreak and the foot and mouth disease outbreak which followed quite soon thereafter. What prompted me to raise this matter was my recollection of the effective measures taken by the then Minister, Joe Walsh, to protect livestock here from the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain. It would have been devastating for us if there had been an outbreak of that disease on a wide scale. In more recent years we have had scares in regard to swine flu and avian flu. Some of these diseases, particularly BSE, pose significant risks to human health.

The Schmallenberg virus is somewhat more complex because the contagion is from a different source than is the case in respect of foot and mouth disease, for example. My objective in bringing this issue to the Minister's attention is to raise awareness of the outbreak of the virus, ascertain the steps being taken and, through raising awareness, encourage precautions to be taken against it. The virus was apparently first detected in the small town of Schmallenberg in Westphalia and soon spread across Germany and into the Netherlands. It is suspected that it was carried from there into southern England by wind-borne midges. The disease is similar to bluetongue in that regard, an outbreak of which occurred here many years ago. Unlike bluetongue, however, there is no vaccine for the Schmallenberg virus and scientists are indicating that it could be several years before one is developed.

The incidence of the virus is not as yet very extensive in England, but its effects have been seen on sheep, in particular, and cattle. Lambs are especially affected, with 10% to 25% of those exposed to the virus born either deformed or stillborn. I understand that in cattle the disease has an effect on milk yields. This amounts to a significant adverse impact for the agricultural sector. While the outbreak is not extensive in our neighbouring country, we should have people on notice and take whatever measures are considered necessary in order to prevent cattle and sheep in this country being affected. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.