Ireland's stringent measures against foot-and-mouth disease allowed the EU to limit yesterday's export ban to Co Louth, according to the Food Safety Commissioner, Mr David Byrne.
Speaking in Brussels after the Commission imposed a ban on exports of livestock, meat and dairy products from the county, Mr Byrne praised the actions of the Government. "In view of the very stringent and effective measures taken by the Irish Government since 28 February, I have been able to persuade my colleagues to limit the export ban to Co Louth," he said.
The ban will remain in force initially until April 4th but will be reviewed next week.
The Commission has forcefully condemned a decision by Austria's Health Minister to impose a unilateral ban on food imports from the Republic, with effect from today. "We feel that the Austrian action is completely unjustified," a Commission spokesman said.
The Commission yesterday banned the export of live cattle, pigs, sheep and goats from the Republic but confined other measures to Co Louth. "The consignment of fresh meat and meat products, milk and milk products and other animal products from these species from the County of Louth is prohibited unless it has been treated appropriately," it said.
The Commission President, Mr Romano Prodi, said in Stockholm last night that EU vets would decide today whether to approve a limited vaccination programme favoured by the Dutch government.
The Netherlands and France are the first two countries on the western European mainland to confirm an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
"We have a scientific committee and we have to follow them. In case they should recommend it, we should do it immediately. They have not recommended it, so we stick on what they say," Mr Prodi said.
The Dutch Agriculture Minister, Mr Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst, said he would ask the EU to approve an emergency vaccination programme if the country's incinerators were unable to cope with the number of animals to be culled.
Mr Brinkhorst said that he wished to avoid at all costs what he described as the "medieval" spectacle of funeral pyres throughout the country.
"As long as I am Agriculture Minister there will be no medieval practices," he said.
The EU is unlikely to approve a vaccination programme and Brussels officials point to the fact that the Dutch authorities slaughtered no fewer than 12 million animals during an outbreak of swine fever in 1998.
Should the disease spread to Germany, the pressure to allow vaccination will increase. German public opinion strongly opposes the mass slaughter of animals.
With Green ministers responsible for policy both in Berlin and in Germany's largest federal state, the pressure to vaccinate will be immense.
