Eamon O’Connell: We have enough costly diseases in the country without importing any more
Bluetongue is getting worryingly close to Ireland and will be a major issue if we can’t keep it out, so stay vigilant and follow the rules to the letter. We don’t want another BVD or IBR brought in
‘There have been a number of diseases that were not an issue in Ireland until someone ‘imported the problem’. Photo: Alf Harvey
The farmer gave a wry smile and a wink to his son when he asked me, “What new disease are ye going to go after when ye have this one sorted?”. He was referring to TB, as the last of his cows ambled out of the crush, giving him the all-clear for this herd test.
We have seen a number of TB outbreaks in our practice in recent months, and it’s a contentious subject. I wasn’t going to get into what promised to be a lively discussion with this farmer so I shrugged off the question by replying “Don’t worry, someone is bound to import something that will keep us on our toes”.
