Govt and Farming Industry must work in Total Partnership - Nicholson
Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament Jim Nicholson MEP has said that Government and all aspects of the agricultural industry must work in total partnership if Northern Ireland is to remain Foot and Mouth disease free.
In a statement Mr Nicholson said,
“The European Commission’s decision to acknowledge Northern Ireland’s disease free status should hopefully allow NI farmers to continue exporting abroad without hassle. However, the situation does need to be monitored closely given the problems that were encountered the last time with some of our export markets.
“Once again the priority must be keeping Northern Ireland foot and mouth disease free. Only by the Government and the industry working together in total partnership will that be achieved.
“In London Defra’s immediate task must be to stop the disease spreading further. However farmers will be rightly asking how this has been allowed to happen again so soon after the last outbreak. Farmers have a number of questions about the bio security lapses at Pirbright that this government seems unwilling to answer.
“Yet again I must express my deep disappointment that Sinn Fein have sought to play politics with an issue as sensitive as foot and mouth by releasing a statement calling for a brand Ireland approach to marketing local produce. There is a time and place for these types of discussions. In the middle of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease is certainly neither the time nor place.”