DEAR MINISTER

I wish to refer to tillage editor, Siobhán Walsh’s article in the edition of 24 January titled “Action needed quickly to stop straw imports”, which accurately outlined the recklessness of importing uncontrollable weed seeds (eg blackgrass and Italian ryegrass) in straw bales.

There is now an even more urgent need to properly regulate these imports, and that is the recent potentially disastrous bluetongue outbreak.

ADVERTISEMENT

The European Food Safety Authority epidemiological analysis report (8 March 2017 under article two) titled “accidental transport in cargo” (eg straw bales), clearly states that: “biting midges (Culicoides species) that carry the bluetongue virus can be transported in fodder, including hay/straw bales and agricultural machinery.”

I believe that this should now easily pave the way to include straw bales to be subject to the compulsory requirement of a phytosanitary certificate (ie cleaning and inspection certificate) just like for the importation of used agricultural machinery is already. This could easily and quickly be done, starting immediately, with only very minor updates to existing legislation.

Secondly, another very similar act was evoked under the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Order 2001 in Ireland, enforced under the Disease in Animals Act 1966, which was introduced to prevent the spread of foot and mouth by restricting the importation of material that could easily carry the disease (eg straw bales).

This order was updated in 2005 and left in place the rule that that imports of straw, hay and peat litter are required to be based on EU regulations, which mandate veterinary checks at approved border control points due to the risk to animal health. It now seems that the recent bluetongue outbreak in Co Wexford (and let us all hope and pray that there is not more) may very well have a similar disastrous financial impact as the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Therefore, I believe it is very reasonable to expect the Minister for Agriculture to update existing legislations to reduce this very serious and unnecessary risk to national biosecurity.

Please be the minister who will be remembered for doing the right things quickly to stop or properly regulate this gaping gap in our biosecurity rules, which is what the unregulated straw imports are and that are now plainly seen as being reckless and unaccountable on many levels. If you succeed minister, we all succeed.