Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her views on the incidence of brucellosis in the cattle herd in 2005 compared to 2003 and 2004. [34105/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The incidence of brucellosis has been falling progressively since 1998: for example, the number of laboratory positives has fallen from 6,417 in 1998 to 664 in 2004. The total number of animals slaughtered under the eradication programme fell from 29,778 to 6,195 during the same period.

There has been a further improvement in the situation in 2005 compared with 2003 and 2004. In the period to the end of September, the number of blood positives in 2005 was 210 compared with 583 in 2004 and 744 in 2003. The number of animals slaughtered fell from 10,799 and 5,830 respectively during the same period in 2003 and 2004 to 1,685 in 2005.

The substantial improvement in the disease situation is due to a number of factors, including continued co-operation from all parties with the eradication regime, the tightening up on illegal cattle movements through the cattle movement monitoring system, the regulation of dealers, prosecutions for breaches and the imposition of penalties for failures to comply with animal disease and identification regulations.

I am confident that this progress can be maintained into the future with the continued operation of the existing measures and the ongoing co-operation of farmers and all involved in the livestock industry. It is, however, vital that we continue to recognise that brucellosis is a highly contagious disease and that we do not relax or relent in our efforts to eradicate it from our national herd. In view of this, we need to continue in the medium term with the existing comprehensive control and eradication measures, which have brought about positive results in recent years in terms of reduced incidence of the disease.