Madam, - The Minister for Agriculture is to be congratulated for her attempts to reintroduce animal movement controls in order to prevent the spread of an animal disease - in this instance bluetongue.
Sixteen years of the "free market" have enabled farmers to buy animals and get their diseases "for free". Those who traded in and/or imported animals have had some opportunity to make a profit. The costs associated with the accompanying diseases will be borne by their neighbours and the wider business and taxpaying community well into the future. Additionally, the regulators who allowed this situation to develop suffered no loss in pay, pension or prospects.
Ireland's enviable animal health status took centuries to achieve. It will regain that reputation only when animal health policy places scientific first principles ahead of short-term commercial or political expediency. As an export-oriented country, Ireland cannot afford a continuum of animal disease disasters due to decisions made by those who, unburdened by technical expertise, bear neither responsibility nor loss for any adverse consequences of their actions. - Yours, etc,
WILLIAM CASHMAN, MVB, MRCVS, MVM, Glounthaune, Co Cork.