A number of EU countries have moved to tackle Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR – a viral disease of cattle) in their bovine herds by implementing IBR eradication programmes.
EU countries such as Belgium have moved to further tighten regulations on the countries they source their cattle imports from, while France is in the early stages of implementing an IBR eradication programme – and the Netherlands is also moving in the same direction.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the EU operates a single market for livestock and any exported animals must fulfill the animal health requirements of the Member State of destination.
Belgium has an approved eradication programme for IBR. Irish cattle can be exported to Belgium, providing they comply with the following requirements:
- Animals are kept in an approved quarantine establishment for at least 30 days prior to departure; and
- Animals have been subjected to an EU-approved blood test for IBR, with a negative result, carried out on a sample taken no less than 21 days after commencement of the quarantine.
Currently, Ireland has no IBR eradication programme in place and a number of Irish cattle exporters have expressed concern on the lack of ambition to tackle IBR in this country.
Irish calf exporters have said that the strict rules surrounding IBR in Belgium make it “unworkable” to send Irish calves to the country. While Belgium is a relativity small customer of Irish calves, the concern is that as other EU countries begin to progress their IBR eradication programmes, they too will turn away from Irish calves unless progress is made on an IBR control programme in this country.
While many Irish beef and dairy farms vaccinate cattle against IBR there is no government-led eradication programme in place in Ireland and calf exporters believe an eradication programme will be needed here, to help future-proof the industry.