Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 575: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of working groups established in the past and agreed in the North-South Ministerial Council to deliver on all-Ireland arrangements on animal and plant health and movement of animals. [10460/06]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 576: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the agreements or targets which were set out in the past by Ministers for Agriculture from the North of Ireland and the South of Ireland within the North-South Ministerial Council, relating to the free movement of animals within the island of Ireland. [10461/06]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the work that any cross-Border working groups on animal health have been engaged in; if arrangements have been put in place for the free movement of animals within the island; the action plan in place to have animals moving freely within the island of Ireland by the first week of June 2006, in view of the positive announcement on 8 March 2006 that the ban on beef for live animals being exported has been removed. [10471/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 575 to 577, inclusive, together.

There is already a long history of co-operation between the administrations North and South on animal health issues. The administrations have traditionally shared information at local and national levels on disease control and surveillance issues and have worked together to combat illegal movements of animals and animal products. The foot and mouth disease emergency of 2001 is a testament to the extent of co-operation and consultation that exists at official, ministerial and political levels. Likewise, both administrations are co-operating on measures relating to avian influenza.

The establishment of the North-South Ministerial Council offered an opportunity to build on existing co-operation arrangements and provided a framework for the development of an all-island animal health policy.

The main objectives of the council are to foster co-operation and to devise a common, unified animal health strategy for the island as a whole. This involves the convergence of animal health policies and the development of joint strategies for dealing with animal diseases. The ultimate objectives are to establish a common import regime and equivalent internal arrangements with a view to achieving free movement of animals and animal products within the island.

The programme of work mandated by the NSMC to agree a common animal health and welfare strategy for the island has been taken forward by nine working groups at official level. The remit of these groups includes TB and brucellosis, TSEs, BSE and scrapie, veterinary medicines, other zoonoses and animal diseases, disease surveillance, animal welfare, import and export of live animals and animal products, animal identification, traceability and cross-Border aspects of fraud.

These working groups meet regularly and their work has focused on three main themes: common or equivalent controls at points of entry to the island; convergence of internal animal health policies; and development of joint strategies for the control of animal disease.

The main achievements to date are the development of a co-ordinated and complementary approach towards import policies and portal controls at points of entry to the island, the convergence of policies in regard to animal identification and scrapie and the strengthening of co-ordination and co-operation between both administrations on a variety of issues such as FMD, BSE and cross-Border fraud. These groups continue to report progress in exchange of information and in implementation of initiatives aimed at policy convergence and the development of a common unified strategy for the island as a whole.

It must also be recognised that the achievement of such an all-island animal health strategy involves complex dialogue and negotiation over a range of areas between the Irish, Northern Irish and British authorities. Ultimately, the agreement of the European Union will be required.

In addition, there has been a significant deepening and strengthening of co-operation, information exchange and ongoing co-ordination between the two administrations on a variety of issues such as FMD, BSE, avian influenza and cross-Border fraud while the farm animal welfare advisory council includes representation from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, DARD. The DARD was also represented at a recent meeting of the avian influenza advisory group and will also be represented at future meetings of the group which indicates the collaborative approach taken by Dublin and Belfast to challenges ahead. On cross-Border fraud, the two administrations have worked together successfully in a number of joint enforcement actions and ongoing exchanges of expertise and information are taking place.

In relation to the recent decision at EU level to lift the BSE ban on exports from the United Kingdom, meetings have already taken place between our two administrations to ensure that procedures are in place in good time to avoid any potential difficulties that may arise when trade from Northern Ireland resumes. It is expected that the decision will come into effect in six to eight weeks.