2026-03-19

77. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding his Department’s response to the outbreak of bluetongue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20931/26]

I would like an update on the position regarding bluetongue. As we know, unfortunately, the disease has been detected at a number of sites throughout the country. Testing is ongoing. This situation is having an impact on trade, particularly the live export trade. I would like to get an update on where the Minister and the Department are on this, and the progress that has been made. Today, we are talking about the temperature possibly going up to 18°C. If we see an increase in temperatures, that will be a significant problem because it creates a situation where bluetongue can become a very serious issue.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to provide an update on the situation. Bluetongue is a viral disease that can cause severe clinical signs in ruminant species, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer and camelids, such as alpacas and llamas. There are many different serotypes of bluetongue virus, and bluetongue virus serotype 3, BTV3, is the serotype circulating in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Bluetongue does not affect human health or food safety, and meat and milk are safe to eat and drink. I acknowledge the stress that the presence of bluetongue must be causing farmers, particularly those in the high-risk regions of the south east and the east. Bluetongue has been detected in counties Wexford, Wicklow, Louth and Kildare. Modelling carried out by the UCD centre for veterinary epidemiology and risk analysis, CVERA, identified that the most likely time for an incursion of infected midges blown over to Ireland from Great Britain was probably in late September last year. Its modelling suggests that the incursion could have occurred along the south-east and east coast, including counties Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow and Louth. My Department is undertaking ongoing surveillance nationally, covering all parts of the country. This includes surveillance at abattoirs, testing of animals submitted to my Department’s network of regional veterinary laboratories, investigation of clinical suspects reported to my Department by farmers or vets, and targeted surveillance in counties identified by the modelling undertaken by UCD. My Department has undertaken regular engagement with farm organisations and stakeholders across the industry, as well as with counterparts in Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs since Ireland’s first case was confirmed. This has included multiple webinars for different stakeholder groups on bluetongue and its implications. The objective is to provide farmers with information regarding the potential impact of bluetongue and the broad geographical areas where it is likely to be present, so they can make decisions on whether to vaccinate. Where appropriate, farmers can vaccinate during spring to ensure their stock is protected in advance of the higher-risk summer months, when warmer temperatures make virus replication possible within infected midges. I will provide more detail in my supplementary answer.

I appreciate that a lot of work has been done in respect of this, and that the Department is doing a lot of testing to try to ensure we detect the places where this has arisen. The Minister gave a list of counties where bluetongue has been detected. Are these antibodies that were a consequence of previous infections going back to last autumn or summer, or is any of this potentially a new spread of the disease? That is something we really need to get a handle on. With regard to the symptoms, certainly, in the early cases that were detected, the animals were not displaying any symptoms, which makes it very difficult. We tell farmers to be vigilant and to do everything they possibly can to have good hygiene and good husbandry on their farms. However, if the animals are not displaying symptoms, it is very difficult for them to do that. I understand that in some of these cases, animals are starting to show more symptoms and they are getting sick. I would like to get an update on that. If farmers are going to have to vaccinate animals, what is the cost of the vaccination programme to which the Minister referred going to be? How quickly can it be rolled out? Is that in itself going to have an impact on our animal trade?

In my initial answer I said that different forms of testing have discovered those cases. The very first case was found in the standard testing of a carcase post-slaughter in an abattoir, which identified that there were antibodies present indicating that the disease was present last year.

A historical case.

Yes, exactly. We investigated the remaining animals in that herd and in the neighbouring herds within the radius of the farm. Some of them were found to be positive, in the sense that they had it previously. If it is the case that we find one that is positive in January or February, how we respond in January is very different from how we respond in July because an animal will only be infectious for about 60 days, so therefore they would not be infectious heading into the high-risk period and beyond. The first ten or 11 cases I am aware of - the majority - were all asymptomatic and were not displaying any symptoms. On the point the Deputy makes around vaccines, that is a commercial decision for farmers. I took the timely step of approving vaccine use once the first case came into Northern Ireland. Before that, it was very much the case that we wanted to lock down and hold back in order to be able to identify it but once the vaccines were available it allowed suppliers to stock up. More than 1.1 million vaccines will be available for use this year.

I understand that vaccines are approved and available but it will cost farmers to vaccinate. Will there be any assistance in that regard, as there could be quite an outlay for farmers? TB is the other big vaccination programme we have in the country at the moment for animal disease and wildlife is obviously a serious issue. If bluetongue becomes a disease that we have to deal with across the State, will the problem arise that it will also spread? Could it potentially be hoarded within the wildlife sector, in particular in deer, which could then be spread to cattle or sheep? The other issue that needs to be addressed in some sense is the impact on trade and in particular live exports? How will that be dealt with and what proposals does the Minister have in respect of that? There is quite a way to go here. If bluetongue is going to be in Ireland and we are not going to be able to prevent it - that seems to be the situation - how are we going to deal with it and go forward?

First and foremost, the cost of the vaccine is a commercial decision. We have made sure there is enough availability, working with the private suppliers of the vaccines. I am reviewing all options open to me to be able to support the sector in what is a very new challenge for us at a very challenging time. This is a real and dynamic response to a real and dynamic situation that has been evolving. We did a remarkable job keeping it off the island. I commend both private veterinary practitioners working with farmers, regional veterinary offices, and the Department to ensure the level of vigilance that was in place. That allowed us to respond in real time. The key responsibility for me and my Department is to make sure that we continue to get market access. Deputy Kenny saw how quickly we moved on skins and hides for China and regained access there. We were able to get measures in place to deal with susceptible animals moving from member states. We worked with them under health certificates as well, including the movement of animals for breeding purposes from North to South. They were all really important measures.

I thank the Minister.

On Deputy Kenny's point about wildlife, this is not passed from animal to animal but obviously it will be a challenge if the deer population has it and a midge lands on it but they will not pass it to each other.