At least 3 veterinary labs to close??

Voodoo_rasher

How damaging this will be to farming in many parts!

Connacht stands to end up with no labs!

http://sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=36249

posting this link merely because this serious topic has not been broached here.

They cannot be let closed!

20silkcut

Voodoo_rasher wrote: »

How damaging this will be to farming in many parts!

Connacht stands to end up with no labs!

http://sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=36249

posting this link merely because this serious topic has not been broached here.

They cannot be let closed!

Definitely the Sligo closure beggars belief a whole swathe of the country is being taken out of the loop.

Surely economic decisions should not dictate the investigation of disease.

I thought things were supposed to be improving. Why is rural Ireland still being decimated?

Why don't they just come out straight and and tell us they want us all in a 50 mile radius of a Dublin.

Reggie.

20silkcut wrote: »

Definitely the Sligo closure beggars belief a whole swathe of the country is being taken out of the loop.

Surely economic decisions should not dictate the investigation of disease.

I thought things were supposed to be improving. Why is rural Ireland still being decimated?

Why don't they just come out straight and and tell us they want us all in a 50 mile radius of a Dublin.

Ok. They want ya at max 50 miles from Dublin

ganmo

A few years ago I was told about a room in backwestin with 4 machines each costing 200k each and at that time hadn't been used.

Are there any independant labs out that way? I have a hunch that they are trying to help support private labs

greysides

As a user of these labs, it seems to me they have been let fade away over the years. Their capability has been slowly chipped away. The Dept are no doubt hoping that private laboratories will take up the slack. I have no doubt it's finance related.

Private laboratories being commercial businesses will only run tests they can justify. That's business. It's not disease management which is the role of the State laboratories. Some tests need to be available whether it's economic or not as they are important tests when they are needed and to the individuals concerned. Whereas a private can say that test doesn't justify itself, State labs previously have previously looked at the bigger picture and somewhere in the organisation the capability was held.
We never know when a new disease will crop up. How many people in the UK were expecting Bluetongue when it arrived. Oh yes, it was a theoretical possibility but there were no dire predictions it was about to happen just before it did.
How about Schmallenberg Disease. A novel disease to this part of the world and still causing problems in parts of Europe which due to it's nature will almost certainly return when conditions allow. New diseases are constantly cropping up as are 'new-to-you' disease. Given the competitiveness of international trade these are used as sticks to beat the opposition with to lower prices or more likely introduce bans of the movement of live animals or meat products. We've seen that with the Horse Meat scandal and the banning of Brazilian beef imports into the EU.

In horses the spread of other insect borne diseases is a concern also and they're a major industry in this country. Contagious Equine Metritis appeared out of no-where to become a major issue for our horse breeding industry. Equine Infectious Anaemia and African Horse Sickness are likely to be problems in the future. While other labs may run the tests who will actually come out and look at the animals to begin with when expert help is needed.

We don't think much on this forum about poultry but how often do you hear of outbreaks of Avian Flu in the UK? Regularly, seasonally. The people at the centre of any such outbreak would be the Lab staff. Similar diseases need to be identified and differentiated from the more important ones quickly. These days Avian Influenza has a human health importance too.

When Foot and Mouth Disease was thought to be in the South East, it was staff from Kilkenny that came to diagnose it. A commercial plant was kept sitting there with farmers and workers trapped inside until the Lab people could come and take control of the situation.

To some degree we are all specialists in our own areas. We know what we need to know, that which we do most often. We may have a good general idea of a wider scope of things beyond that but our expertise is not as good as someone for which it is their bread and butter. The lab staff act as collaters of data both for the publishing of reviews and to advise those who run into problems beyond their expertise. With the information they collect the rare is their common business. Reducing the staff is to lose that body of knowledge. By and large the lab staff have no agenda to their information, neither commercial, though affiliation to Drug companies, or political, to running for office. Consequently their information is unbiased and trustworthy.

When it was decided that Aujeszky's Disease was to be eradicated, it was necessary for samples to be taken from all pig units in the country regardless of size. Who took the samples? Not the few pig vets, as they couldn't cover the ground. Local vets to whom a pig qualified as a rare species did a lot of that. Where did the knowledge of how to blood sample pigs of different ages come form? From Dept labs, in particular Sligo which was the home of a vet with experience in the field. These labs act as an archive of information and experience that may not be needed right now but that could be very important when the unexpected will happen. Because it WILL!

And you can take bets that the time the lab service is cut to ribbons will be quickly followed by the time we would have needed their services the most. To be followed by an obscene and obsequious amount of political hand-wringing and passing of the buck. Welcome to Ireland.

foxy farmer

Not really surprised.
They contracted out the BVD testing. Brucellosis testing on vastly reduced scale. All these private Labs doing the BVD testing didn't start up just for that alone if the BVD can be eradicated in a short time frame as they claim. BVD testing won't disappear overnight thats for sure. Tagging tied in as well. They'll be getting plenty more work in the years ahead testing for new diseases.
Cuts out need for manpower, equipment and buildings on Depts behalf.

ganmo

greysides wrote: »

As a user of these labs, ....now but that could be very important when the unexpected will happen. Because it WILL!

And you can take bets that the time the lab service is cut to ribbons will be quickly followed by the time we would have needed their services the most. To be followed by an obscene and obsequious amount of political hand-wringing and passing of the buck. Welcome to Ireland.

HERE HERE!

joejobrien

This is a very shortsited approach. typical of irish governance.
Not repeating what greyside mentioned, it is our (IRELAND) fist line of defence WHEN something breaks. (and it wil)
The people who are in charge of funding this area are a disgrace, only a few years ago, the local RVL IN LIMERICK was recently refurbishied. cost unknow. Lab services were curtailed siginifianctly during referb.
We were unfortunate to have required there service immediately. UNABLE to test.
Transport to another RVL eleswhere in the country. That was there answer.
Some chance of getting a courier for that
Correct me if Im wrong but there was nt such collection for that type of package!!!!!
Such waste of money and once again no one held accountable