May 27, 2009

The Irish Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to launch a new salmonella scheme in a bid to tackle worrying levels of the disease in the national pig herd.

 

DA senior veterinary inspector Alma Flack said the levels of the disease in the Irish herd were way above the EU average.

 

The EU average for salmonella taken from lymph node samples is 10.3 percent, but the figure for Ireland stands at between 15 percent and 20 percent.

 

Ireland tops the table when it comes to carcass contamination at slaughter, which stands at 20 percent. The EU average is 8.3 percent.

 

Flack said the new plan is likely to launch in the next two or three months, which is going to be rolled out on 15 farms where the department thinks there is a problem.

 

She added that from 2012, a national plan would be required for the control and reduction of disease by all EU member states.