China has become the latest country to ban imports of Irish cloven-hoofed animals and their products in an effort to prevent foot-and-mouth disease entering the country.
The Ministry of Agriculture and State Administration for Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine issued a statement yesterday announcing the ban on imports from Ireland and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands yesterday confirmed its fifth case of the disease.
China has had no reported cases of foot-and-mouth disease associated with the current outbreak in Europe. But the Paris-based world animal health organisation, the Office International des Epizooties, claims foot-and-mouth is endemic in China and all Asian countries with the exception of Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Singapore.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office in Dublin show that in 2000, the State exported £4.4 million worth of dairy products to China, as well as £382,000 worth of meat and meat preparations.