Resumption of Trade with NI for Feeding & Breeding Animals Timely

IFA President Francie Gorman has welcomed the recommencement of trade for feeding and breeding animals with NI following the agreement of a derogation between Minister Heydon and Minister Muir.

He said the NI trade is a vital outlet for farmers, in particular in the northern half of the country. This announcement is timely given we are in the peak sales season for these animals.

The IFA President said the return of live exporters to mart rings from tomorrow will give a renewed impetuous to the trade for all categories of animals.

“This agreed position with Northern Ireland has come about following intensive discussions between IFA and our colleagues in the UFU and very proactive engagement from the Department of Agriculture who recognised the importance of this trade and the urgency in having it recommence,” he said.

IFA Animal Health Chair David Hall said this agreed derogation for movements of feeding and breeding animals with Northern Ireland is a good example of close collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and farmers.

He said from tomorrow we are returning to more normal trading conditions since BTV 3 was found in this country but as farmers we must remain vigilant.

“It’s critical farmers continue to monitor livestock closely and report any suspicious symptoms to their vet. It is also important farmers continue to submit any deformed foetuses to their RVL for testing, this information will play an important role in informing the extent of the disease in the country and the appropriate actions farmers may need to take with vaccinations,” he said.

The IFA Animal Health Chair also reminded farmers of the risks of importing animals from regions near countries in Europe that have other strains of BTV in circulation.

“We have BTV3 in the country, but we should continue to exercise caution in importing decisions to avoid introducing other strains of the disease to the country,” he concluded.