Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the steps she is taking to guard agriculture here against the possibility of foot and mouth disease entering here through infected meat from Argentina; and if she will support an immediate ban on food imports from that country. [5978/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that the Argentine competent authorities notified the World Organisation on Animal Health on 8 February 2006 of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a large farm in the Corrientes province in the northern region of the county. This notification indicates control measures including quarantine, movement control, vaccination and bio-safety have been introduced and that additional measures, including stamping out, screening and zoning within the affected region, will be undertaken.

In respect of trade in agricultural products, the EU generally applies the regionalisation principle, which allows trade to continue from non-affected regions. In practice, this means that where there is a disease outbreak, restrictions on trade are applied to products from this affected region while trade can continue from other unaffected parts of the country or region. It will be recalled that this principle was applied to trade here during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001.

Argentina has been regionalised for the purpose of exporting animal products. The Commission is bringing forward proposals to the standing committee on the food chain and animal health, which is meeting today, to introduce a ban on the import of meat from the Corrientes province. Ireland will be supporting the Commission's proposal.