Foot-and-mouth disease
Sir, - There is now a need to ensure that all measures taken serve to reduce the foot-and-mouth risk, and certainly not increase it. It is time to consider the effectiveness of restrictions now being introduced, or already in place.
The recent closures of areas such as Marlay Park and Killiney Hill Park, by removing recreational outlets, will increase the pressure on genuinely sensitive areas such as the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains. Such measures should be continued only if clearly needed, and not simply in order to be seen to "do our bit". While the Phoenix Park contains deer, and there may be a case for closing Marlay Park on grounds of its proximity to farmland, Killiney Hill Park is entirely surrounded by housing.
The Mountaineering Council of Ireland supports the measures taken by the Department of Agriculture and has advised its members (who are complying) to stay out of the countryside. While media reports last weekend may have given an image of hill-walkers swarming over the countryside, the reality in South Dublin and Wicklow was that these were casual walkers - people out for a drive, then attempting to take a short walk, rather than regular hill-walkers. This pressure on the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains is likely to continue while other recreational outlets are closed.
From our experience it would seem advisable to have urban parks which can be secured with disinfectant procedures at one or two open entrances. This would minimise the countryside risk posed by people who may be genuinely unaware that the land to either side of the road on which they are driving is farmland. - Yours, etc. Peter O'Neill, Chairperson, Mountaineering Council of Ireland, Llewellyn Park, Dublin 16.