Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 402: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the action that is taken to allow live breeding sheep stock exports to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11471/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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There is no prohibition on the movement of sheep to or from Northern Ireland. However since the FMD outbreak in 2001 and arising from certain concerns relating to scrapie, all exports of breeding sheep must be inspected by an official veterinarian during the 24 hours preceding the loading of the animals and issued with an intra-Community health certificate signed by the official veterinarian. Under Intra Community trade rules breeding sheep must have been continuously resident on a holding of origin for at least 30 days prior to export, including a standstill period of 21 days prior to export during which time no sheep or goats have been introduced on to the holding. A derogation applies where sheep or goats introduced during the standstill period are completely isolated from all other animals on the holding.

Breeding rams must also come from a holding on which no case of contagious epididymitis (Brucella Ovis) has been recorded in the last 12 months and they must have been kept permanently on the holding for 60 days, prior to export. Breeding rams must also be tested for contagious epididymitis with a negative result, within 30 days prior to export. Breeding sheep in particular, must come from scrapie monitored flocks with the scrapie rules stipulating that all breeding sheep must either be of the ARR/ARR prion protein genotype, or have been kept in a scrapie monitored flock for at least 3 years with no cases of this disease being confirmed during this period.