Whistleblowers raised concerns about the risk of a rabies outbreak in Ireland after the Department of Agriculture dropped quarantine requirements for Ukrainian pets due to the large influx of animals from the Eastern European country.
At least two departmental personnel formally brought their concerns to senior officials in relation to “reckless” arrangements that dispensed with normal requirements for animals to be quarantined under state supervision.
Instead, Ukrainian refugees were asked to quarantine their own pets in state-funded accommodation, instructing them to ensure that dogs, cats and other animals defecate indoors.
READ MORE: Government accused of ‘taking the pi**’ as €1m a month spent on Ukrainian refugee pet accommodation
Ireland is one of around 30 countries that are considered rabies-free, while Ukraine has the highest incidence of the fatal disease in Europe, witnessing a 230-per cent increase last year.
The situation in the country is so serious that the World Health Organisation (WHO) convened a multi-stakeholder conference there last October to map out a way forward for the control of rabies.
UNICEF has also intervened by delivering 4,000 doses of rabies vaccines in Ukraine earlier this year, while the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe issued a “call to action” over fears of a mass outbreak.
Last week, the Irish Mirror revealed that the Department of Agriculture stopped quarantining the pets of Ukrainian refugees because it ‘couldn’t deal with’ the volume of animals entering the country.
A senior official in the Department of Integration allegedly suggested in an internal email that the decision to stop applying its own rules had constituted a breach of EU regulations.
And now it can be reported that at least two whistleblowers within the Department of Agriculture also expressed serious concerns – one of whom is a senior official.
However, their alleged concerns were “brushed off” and the message to veterinary personnel working at points of entry was that they were “on their own” if an incidence of rabies occurred, according to Clare TD Michael McNamara.
He was also contacted by the whistleblowers, who he said were concerned both for the safety of veterinary practitioners and the risk of a broader outbreak of rabies in the country.
“Vets were concerned about what would happen if an employee of theirs was exposed to rabies because the department had decided not to impose the usual quarantine measures, so obviously there was a risk,” said Mr McNamara.
“The department was basically saying to these veterinary practices ‘You’re on your own,’ outlining the legal situation and saying ‘If this goes wrong, you’re on your own’ – and I don’t think that’s an appropriate response.”
He said the decision to stop quarantining pets under supervision had been “reckless” and added that Ireland had been very fortunate to have “gotten away with it” with no reported cases of rabies.
A special investigation by the Irish Mirror last week revealed that the Department of Integration had paid up to €1 million a month for the accommodation of Ukrainian pets in hotels and other state-funded premises.
One senior official complained that the department had been “left managing the fallout” after their colleagues in Agriculture House had allowed more than 1,800 animals into the country in the first eight months of the Ukraine conflict.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin defended the expenditure in the Dáil, saying it was only “one aspect” of a humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis “that reflected the best of what we are as a people”.
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