The mass slaughter of sheep and cattle in Co Louth began yesterday in an effort to prevent the spread of the Republic's first case of foot-and-mouth disease in nearly 60 years.
This will be the first part of what the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, said would be part of "an aggressive strategic slaughter of flocks in the region". He hoped that foot-and-mouth could be confined to one outbreak in the Republic.
The news of the outbreak was delivered to the Dail by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, at 10.35 a.m. yesterday, just an hour after the test results from Pirbright Laboratory in London had been delivered.
The Dail was adjourned and resumed later for Mr Walsh's statement outlining the facts.
At a hastily arranged press conference at his Department, a tense Mr Walsh said two samples taken from the sheep flock at Proleek had proved positive.
He said that the flock was located within the surveillance zone established after the outbreak at Meigh, Co Armagh, on March 1st, and that on Wednesday, in advance of the test results, controls were intensified in this region.
All animal movements in Co Louth were stopped on a precautionary basis and Garda reinforcements were assigned to the likely perimeter of the protection zone, he said. He had made an order giving legal effect to the protection zone.
As an initial step, the ban on exports of susceptible animals would be retained and the export of animal products would be temporarily suspended from yesterday.
Mr Walsh said he and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, had been in contact with the European Commission and expected that the Commission would agree to a limited trade ban in relation to exports of non-treated meat and dairy products.
He said that working with the Commissioner responsible for food safety, Mr David Byrne, he was hopeful that Ireland would be allowed to continue to export from areas other than Co Louth. The precedent had been established when the French obtained permission to export from areas outside the two infected zones there, he noted.
Mr Walsh described the outbreak as "a major disappointment", given the intensity of the efforts put in to prevent it by all sections of society in every part of the country.
"The flock in question was examined previously and found to be without symptoms. It is clear from the experience emerging from the UK that this disease is difficult to detect, particularly in sheep."
However, he said, there were some positive elements. The outbreak had happened within the existing surveillance area where there had been intensive examination of animals over the past weeks.
The Department's chief veterinary officer, Mr Colm Gaynor, said his officials had no idea how the disease had reached the farm. No animals had been bought in by the farmer involved, who ran a fragmented farm in the area.
He said the initial cull within one kilometre of the farm would involve the destruction of 3,000 sheep and 1,000 cattle. The cull zone, he said, would be extended to take in all susceptible animals within a three-kilometre zone.
Both Mr Walsh and Mr Gaynor paid tribute to, and sympathised with, the farmer involved and said he had been most co-operative and helpful.