The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine today announced the introduction of regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 requiring flock keepers to apply particular bio-security measures for poultry and other captive birds as a precautionary measure against Avian Influenza, as well as a ban on the assembly of birds. These Regulations provide for precautionary measures against avian influenza (bird flu).

ASF which is a deadly disease of pigs and wild boar was confirmed yesterday (10/09/2020) in the eastern area of Spree-Neisse within a few kilometres of the Polish border. ASF virus, which is highly fatal for pigs and wild boar, does not affect humans and poses no food safety risk. Reports to date indicate that the infection involves a single wild boar which was found dead and there have been no reports of the disease in domestic pigs in Germany. The Department has confirmed that there has been no importation of live pigs from Germany into Ireland this year to date.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dara Calleary T.D., today announced the opening of the Beef Finisher Payment (BFP). The scheme is a one off, exchequer funded grant aid scheme under the Covid19 State Aid Temporary Framework with funding totalling €50M. The objective of BFP is to provide support for beef finishing farms in Ireland which have been severely impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic

The life cycle of the causative worm, Nematodirus battus, is unlike that of other roundworms in that typically it takes almost a year on pasture before the egg hatches releasing the infective larva. There is a mass hatching of eggs in spring when the soil temperature increases after a period of cold weather and disease typically occurs in April, May and June.

After ingestion by lambs, Nematodirus larvae invade the wall of the intestine. Infection is characterised by profuse diarrhoea, dehydration and weight loss. In outbreak scenarios, lambs can be seen congregating around water troughs due to the severe thirst that develops, while the ewes which are unaffected continue to graze.

This disease is best prevented by keeping the current year’s lambs off pasture that was grazed by lambs or young calves (which can be carriers of infection) in the previous year. Enterprises with high stocking rates are particularly vulnerable. Please note that twin lambs, or single lambs born to ewes of poor milking ability may be at a greater risk of developing disease as they begin consuming greater amounts of grass earlier in life. If ‘clean’ pasture is available, preference should be given to moving these lambs first.

The Department will also be implementing its own business continuity plan to maintain essential services. This means that the Department is taking all of the precautions necessary to protect its staff and its clients, consistent with HSE advice, but is remaining open for business, prioritising the delivery of essential services to farmers, fishermen and the food and forestry sectors. 

The Department is taking necessary steps to ensure:

• that producers and processors can continue to operate effectively and keep supply lines open
• that the Department can operate as effectively as possible during the current pandemic.

The Regional Veterinary Laboratory (RVL) Liver Fluke Abattoir ELISA Survey

Blood samples collected by DAFM staff from a selection of lambs born in 2019 (928 flocks) across 25 counties were tested for the presence of antibodies to liver fluke by the DAFM Laboratory Service to determine the level of exposure of lambs in these flocks. Data from this survey indicates that the majority of infected flocks are from counties on the western seaboard. A particularly large number of positive results were reported from flocks located in Mayo and Donegal. In these counties, exposure to liver fluke was detected in June, while animals in the southwest were apparently not exposed before August. By October, there was evidence of fluke exposure in lambs from the midlands and large parts of Leinster. Please see http://www.animalhealthsurveillance.agriculture.gov.ie/ for further details and maps of test results.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., announced today the commencement of balancing payments to all eligible farmers under year 2 of the Sheep Welfare Scheme.  The Scheme is co-funded by the European Union as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme, 2014-2020.

Minister Creed stated that: “following the issuing of the 85% advance payments to farmers in mid-November, I am happy to confirm that the 15% balancing payments under the Sheep Welfare Scheme have now commenced.”

The Minister noted, “This scheme continues to reflect the commitment of this Government to the sheep sector in Ireland and has provided a welcome additional stream of income to sheep farmers which was not previously available.”

The rollout of the balancing payments brings the total paid under the Sheep Welfare Scheme to almost €17 million to some 19,000 farmers, providing a significant financial boost to the individual farmers, the sheep sector in general and the wider rural economy. 

The Minister concluded by urging farmers with outstanding queries to respond to the Department immediately in order to facilitate payment. Payments will continue to issue on an ongoing basis as eligibility is confirmed for farmers with outstanding queries.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine advises farmers in relation to the predicted risk of infection in lambs based on the advice received from the Nematodirus Advisory Group.

The disease

Nematodirosis is a severe disease of lambs six to twelve weeks of age which become infected through ingesting large numbers of infective larvae present on contaminated pasture. The life cycle of Nematodirus battus is unlike that of other roundworms in that typically it takes almost a year before the egg hatches releasing the infective larva. There is a mass hatching of larvae in spring when the soil temperature increases after a period of cold weather and disease typically occurs in April, May and June.

After ingestion Nematodirus larvae invade the intestinal mucosa and infection is characterised by profuse diarrhoea, dehydration and weight loss. In outbreak scenarios, lambs can be seen congregating around water troughs due to the severe thirst that develops, while the ewes which are unaffected continue to graze.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine advises farmers in relation to the predicted risk of infection in lambs based on the advice received from the Nematodirus Advisory Group.

The disease

Nematodirosis is a severe disease of lambs six to twelve weeks of age which become infected through ingesting large numbers of infective larvae present on contaminated pasture. The life cycle of Nematodirus battus is unlike that of other roundworms in that typically it takes almost a year before the egg hatches releasing the infective larva. There is a mass hatching of larvae in spring when the soil temperature increases after a period of cold weather and disease typically occurs in April, May and June.

After ingestion Nematodirus larvae invade the intestinal mucosa and infection is characterised by profuse diarrhoea, dehydration and weight loss. In outbreak scenarios, lambs can be seen congregating around water troughs due to the severe thirst that develops, while the ewes which are unaffected continue to graze.

Grass tetany continues to be a major cause of death in cows, particularly suckler cows, in Northern Ireland. It is caused by magnesium deficiency, which is common in lactating cows grazing lush spring pasture. A sudden deterioration in weather condition scan lead to severe outbreaks of grass tetany by dramatically increasing the number of cows deficient in magnesium. Therefore farmers need to be aware of the risks and take steps to prevent this disease, particularly during spring and autumn.