merrion street

Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has welcomed the report of the All Island Animal Disease surveillance report for 2010 which he launched jointly with the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Michelle O’Neill at the National Ploughing Championships today.

Complimenting those involved in the collaborative venture between the national diagnostic laboratories in both jurisdictions, the Regional Veterinary Laboratories and Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in Northern Ireland, the Minister said that the publication is a must for anyone with an interest in farming and animal husbandry.

“The report is a very useful reference point for all involved in or with an interest in animal husbandry and the usefulness of joint reporting is very much evident in the final product. This is first such joint report and I look forward to continued ongoing collaboration between our two official laboratories North and South, to the ultimate benefit of the agri-sectors on the island and of our respective stakeholders”.

The Minister noted that all–island animal disease surveillance is a key deliverable of the All-Island Animal Health and Welfare Strategy and said that the joint report for 2010 is the first step in attaining that goal. “There is ongoing co-operation between both laboratories – the joint investigation by veterinarians from DAFF and AFBI into a botulism outbreak in a poultry flock in 2010 is but one example. Also the report highlights the respective strengths of both organisations and the potential that may exist for surveillance that could be carried out by either to the benefit of the whole island”.