Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 364: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to establish Biosecurity Ireland as a division within his Department with a remit to ensure the exclusion, eradication or effective management of risks posed by diseases and pests to the economy, the environment and to human and animal health. [18142/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's responsibilities extend to animal and plant health and it works closely with the Department of Health & Children and the Health Services Executive in relation to any such diseases that may have potential implications for human health, for example in relation to avian 'flu'.

I am acutely conscious of the threats of various animal disease outbreaks and my Department continually reassesses such threats. On the basis of such risk assessments, I and my officials review the adequacy of our control measures aimed at mitigating the risk of the introduction of such diseases to this country.

My Department within its own internal competency operates a wide range of controls, systems and processes which regulate, monitor and manage the risks posed by diseases and pests. This encompasses veterinary, scientific, epidemiological, administrative and legal expertise, all of which contribute, as appropriate, to the process. My Department's state of the art veterinary and agriculture laboratories at Backweston also continue to develop as centres of excellence increasing their range of diagnostic services to underpin any challenges posed to animal, plant health or food safety.

In addition, my Department is able to avail of extensive external expertise, some of which comes from other State agencies, including the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Met Eireann, as well as organisations such as Birdwatch Ireland and academic expertise, including that provided by the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in UCD and the Department of Zoology at NUI, Galway.

Based on various increased disease outbreak threats, my Department has offered and continues to offer biosecurity to farmers in relation to diseases as foot-and-mouth, avian 'flu' and bluetongue. This advise is updated as appropriate and made available in leaflet form, through the national newspapers or on my Department's website.

I am satisfied that my Department has available to it all the relevant expertise to ensure that the necessary biosecurity controls and precautions are exercised and taken both at points of import and at the farm gate. Nonetheless, I am anxious to bring a greater focus to and place a greater emphasis on the need for constant vigilance in the area of biosecurity and, for that reason, I have decided to establish, as a division within my Department, "Biosecurity Ireland" with a remit to ensure the exclusion, eradication or effective management of risks posed by diseases and pests to the economy, the environment as well as to human and animal health.