Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the measures in place to promote disease eradication; if there are plans for the introduction of an all-Ireland health policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19640/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department accords a high priority to maintaining Ireland's high status in relation to animal health and welfare in the context of protecting consumers and in view of the economic and social importance of agriculture to the country. It remains essential that we anticipate future possibilities wherever possible and maintain the capability of dealing effectively with any threats in this area, from wherever they emerge.

A comprehensive approach to these threats involves the following measures:

continued operation of schemes to reduce and eventually eradicate diseases of significant importance such as TB and Brucellosis;

an intensive programme of measures to eradicate BSE; and

measures to deal with threats from or actual outbreaks of other diseases.

The disease programmes operated by my Department include comprehensive compensation measures to compensate farmers for losses arising from the removal of animals as a result of disclosure of disease.

The animal traceability system and the Animal Health Computer System are essential elements in supporting the Department's policies in relation to animal health and welfare activities and consumer confidence. These systems bring the benefits of modern technology also to the administration of the Department's various programmes, including the management of the TB and Brucellosis eradication schemes. The Animal Health Computer System has been extended also to facilitate the creation of a national database of all registered keepers of domestic poultry and captive birds as part of the Department's response to the threat of an outbreak of Avian Influenza. There is 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. The importance of agriculture on the island of Ireland and the potential threats posed by diseases require that both Governments are involved at the highest level in protecting and enhancing the animal health and welfare status of livestock.

The North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) provides a framework for the development of an all-island animal health policy. The main objectives of the NSMC are to foster co-operation and to devise a common, unified animal health strategy for the island as a whole. This involves the co-ordination of animal health policies and the development of joint strategies for dealing with animal diseases. Since 2001 the structured arrangements have been very valuable particularly in our dealings in relation to outbreaks of FMD, Bluetongue and Avian Influenza in England. In addition progress has been made in relation to policies on animal identification and on a variety of animal diseases including T.B, Brucellosis, BSE and Scrapie.

I welcome the continued co-operation at all levels on the activities included in the All-Island Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, most recently discussed at the North/South Ministerial Council Agriculture Sectoral meeting held in the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh on 30 April last. Progress has been noted in a number of areas, including in the areas of common contingency plans for diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease and Bluetongue, joint data sharing, identification of sheep, the development of common approaches to sheep genotyping and to Salmonella. In addition there has been progress relating to Aujeszky's Disease in pigs, and the hygiene package in respect of the transmission of food chain information with animals going to slaughter and of the feasibility and priority of an all island approach relating to Trichinella in pigs. There are also plans for consultation and a future cross-border event with key agriculture stakeholders from both jurisdictions to discuss the all-island strategic approach.