The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that three further animal diseases have been added to the list of notifiable diseases in Ireland.
Caseous lymphadenitis, duck viral enteritis and duck viral hepatitis have all been added to the list.
A DAFM spokesperson said the Notification and Control of Diseases Affecting Terrestrial Animals (No. 2) Regulations 2016, details a range of animal diseases which must be reported to DAFM where there is suspicion of an outbreak.
“The addition of three further diseases to the Schedule, under S.I. No. 683 of 2024, is being done for export certification purposes,” the spokesperson added.
Caseous Lymphadenitis is an infectious, bacterial disease of sheep and goats which results in abscesses in the lymph glands and leads to chronic weight loss in affected animals.
Rams are the main carriers and flock owners are advised to take preventative measures such as isolating new stock for as long as possible before introducing them.
Both duck viral enteritis, also known as duck plague, and duck viral hepatitis can cause “acute, contagious illness”.
DAFM
According to the department, a notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities.Â
“This collation of information allows the authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks,” it has outlined.
Last month, DAFM, the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute in Northern Ireland (AFBI) and Animal Health Ireland (AHI) highlighted in the latest All-Island Animal Disease Surveillance Report that disease surveillance has “assumed increased importance and prominence on the island”.
The report outlined the threat from various bluetongue cases detected in Great Britain. and the emergence of another bluetongue virus serotype.
It also pointed to incidents of other vector-borne viruses such as Schmallenberg in 2023 and detailed the range of “diagnostic and surveillance activities across the two jurisdictions on the island”.
The issue of the “mobility of viruses, especially vector-borne viruses in a globalised world” must remain a key concern according to both Barry McInerney from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and MÃcheál Casey from DAFM.
“Awareness, vigilance, biosecurity and well-resourced surveillance systems are key to keeping our livestock safe, our export trade flowing, and our food chains secure.
“Underpinning all of this is enthusiastic stakeholder engagement.
“We need full participation by farmers and vets in all aspects of these control measures, and particularly in engaging fully with laboratory-based surveillance,” they warned.