Agriculture JC 6 April 2001
Agriculture Sector
Agriculture House, Dublin, Friday 6 April 2001
Joint Communiqué
1. A special meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in the Agriculture Sector was held in Dublin on Friday, 6 April 2001. This meeting was exclusively devoted to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) situation and the efforts to combat its spread on the island of Ireland.
2. This was the third meeting of the Council in this Sector. The Irish Government was represented by Mr Joe Walsh, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, who chaired the meeting. The Northern Ireland Executive Delegation comprised Ms Bríd Rogers, MLA, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Mr Sam Foster, MLA, Minister of the Environment.
3. The Council reviewed the FMD situation and acknowledged with gratitude the part played by so many people North and South to guard against spread of the disease through following the respective guidelines and acting responsibly in the face of this very serious risk. The Ministers fully understood the very real difficulties being experienced by agriculture and many other sectors - that was why both Administrations were keeping restriction measures under continual review. They hoped that, by the determined manner in which the outbreak had been tackled, North and South, the scale of the difficulties was being kept to a minimum and that this approach would bring real benefits to everybody in the long run. However, Ministers reiterated their personal determination, and that of their respective Administrations, to ensuring that everything possible would be done to alleviate the difficulties, as appropriate.
4. With both administrations attaching the highest importance to animal health, the Council again underlined the value of enhanced cooperation on this issue to both parts of the island of Ireland. The Agriculture Ministers noted that, since the FMD outbreak, collaboration between their Departments had intensified with the primary purpose being containment and eradication of the disease. The Council emphasised that the events of recent weeks illustrated the importance of an island-wide approach to such issues. The Council agreed that sustained cooperation between the two Administrations was essential to reduce the risk of the further spread of FMD. Against that background, the Council agreed that both administrations will continue to:
- closely monitor the situation in their respective herds and flocks;
- exchange all relevant information in respect of animal movements;
- strongly encourage the general public and particularly the farming and agri-business community to continue to follow the advice being given to prevent any spread of the disease;
- review the activities that may be resumed and the conditions under which such resumption might be permitted;
- liaise closely in the prevention of the importation of susceptible animals from Great Britain;
- maintain co-operation in ensuring that proper disinfection; arrangements are applied at all entry points to the island;
- monitor on-going developments in respect of cross-border issues; and
- maintain liaison with the port and other authorities in Britain to ensure that appropriate disinfection procedures are maintained at ports and other exit points from Britain to this island.
5. The Council decided that officials of the two Departments would
- develop a strategy for the control of animal movements on the island of Ireland drawing on work done in both jurisdictions; and
- in the light of experience gained from the current Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks, consider the means of prevention, containment and eradication of future epizootic disease outbreaks on the island.
The Council requested that the officials report back to subsequent NSMC meetings in this Sector.
Date of Next Meeting
6. Finally, the Council agreed that its next meeting in this Sector will take place in the South in June 2001.
Joint Secretariat
6 April 2001